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308 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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325 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
335 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
337 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
345 @top The Gnus Newsreader
349 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
350 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
351 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
354 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
355 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
370 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
371 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
373 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
374 being accused of plagiarism:
376 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
377 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
378 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
379 can even read news with it!
381 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
382 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
383 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
384 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
385 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
389 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
391 @heading Other related manuals
393 @item Message manual: Composing messages
394 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
395 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
396 @item PGG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
397 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
403 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
404 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
405 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
406 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
407 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
408 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
409 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
410 * Various:: General purpose settings.
411 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
412 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
413 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
414 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
415 * Key Index:: Key Index.
417 Other related manuals
419 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
420 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
421 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
422 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
423 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
426 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
430 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
431 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
432 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
433 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
434 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
435 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
438 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
439 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
440 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
444 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
445 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
446 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
450 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
451 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
452 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
453 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
454 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
455 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
456 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
457 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
458 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
459 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
460 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
461 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
462 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
463 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
464 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
465 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
466 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
467 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
471 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
472 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
473 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
477 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
478 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
479 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
480 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
481 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
485 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
486 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
487 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
488 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
489 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
493 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
494 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
495 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
496 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
497 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
498 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
499 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
500 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
501 * Threading:: How threads are made.
502 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
503 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
504 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
505 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
506 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
507 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
508 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
509 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
510 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
511 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
512 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
513 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
514 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
515 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
516 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
517 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
518 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
519 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
520 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
521 or reselecting the current group.
522 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
523 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
524 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
525 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
527 Summary Buffer Format
529 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
530 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
531 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
532 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
536 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
537 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
539 Reply, Followup and Post
541 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
542 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
543 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
544 * Canceling and Superseding::
548 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
549 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
550 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
551 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
552 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
553 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
560 Customizing Threading
562 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
563 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
564 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
565 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
569 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
570 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
571 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
572 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
573 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
574 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
578 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
579 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
580 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
584 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
585 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
586 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
587 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
588 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
589 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
590 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
591 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
592 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys, Gravatars
593 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
594 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
596 Alternative Approaches
598 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
599 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
601 Various Summary Stuff
603 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
604 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
605 * Summary Generation Commands::
606 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
610 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
611 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
612 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
613 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
614 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
618 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
619 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
620 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
621 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
622 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
623 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
624 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
625 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
626 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
630 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
631 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
632 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
633 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
634 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
635 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
636 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
637 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
638 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
642 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
643 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
644 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
645 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
646 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
647 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
648 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
652 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
653 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
657 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
658 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
659 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
660 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
664 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
665 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
666 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
667 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
668 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
669 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
670 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
671 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
672 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
673 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
674 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
675 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
676 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
680 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
681 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
682 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
684 Choosing a Mail Back End
686 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
687 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
688 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
689 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
690 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
691 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
692 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
697 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
699 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
703 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
704 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
705 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
706 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
710 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
714 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
718 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
719 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
720 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
724 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
725 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
726 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
728 The Gnus Diary Library
730 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
731 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
732 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
733 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
737 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
738 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
739 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
740 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
741 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
742 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
743 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
744 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
745 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
746 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
747 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
748 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
749 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
750 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
754 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
755 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
756 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
760 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
761 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
762 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
766 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
767 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
768 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
769 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
770 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
771 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
772 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
773 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
774 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
775 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
776 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
777 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
778 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
779 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
780 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
781 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
785 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
786 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
787 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
791 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
792 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
793 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
794 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
795 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
796 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
797 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
798 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
799 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
800 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
801 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
802 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
803 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
804 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
805 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
806 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
807 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
808 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
809 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
810 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
814 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
815 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
816 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
817 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
818 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
819 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
820 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
821 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
825 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
826 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
827 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
829 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
830 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
831 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
835 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
836 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
837 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
838 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
842 * Spam Package Introduction::
843 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
844 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
845 * Spam and Ham Processors::
846 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
848 * Extending the Spam package::
849 * Spam Statistics Package::
851 Spam Statistics Package
853 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
854 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
855 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
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:: The Gnus FAQ
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.
888 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
889 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
893 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
894 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
895 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
896 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
900 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
901 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
902 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
903 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
904 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
905 * Group Info:: The group info format.
906 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
907 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
908 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
912 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
913 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
914 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
915 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
916 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
917 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
921 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
922 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
926 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
927 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
933 @chapter Starting Gnus
936 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
941 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
942 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
943 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
944 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
945 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
946 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
948 @findex gnus-other-frame
949 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
950 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
951 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
953 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
954 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
955 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
957 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
958 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
961 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
962 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
963 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
964 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
965 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
966 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
967 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
968 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
969 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
970 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
974 @node Finding the News
975 @section Finding the News
978 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
979 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
980 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
981 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
982 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
983 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
984 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
985 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
987 @vindex gnus-select-method
989 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
990 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
991 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
992 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
995 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
996 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
999 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1002 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1005 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1008 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1009 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1010 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1011 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1013 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1015 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1016 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1017 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1018 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1019 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1020 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1021 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1023 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1025 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1026 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1027 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1028 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1029 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1030 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1032 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1034 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1035 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1036 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1037 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1038 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1039 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1042 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1043 you would typically set this variable to
1046 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1049 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1050 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1051 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1052 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1055 @node The First Time
1056 @section The First Time
1057 @cindex first time usage
1059 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1060 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1062 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1063 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1064 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1065 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1068 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1069 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1070 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1072 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1073 help you with most common problems.
1075 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1076 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1080 @node The Server is Down
1081 @section The Server is Down
1082 @cindex server errors
1084 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1085 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1086 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1088 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1089 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1090 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1091 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1092 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1093 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1094 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1096 @findex gnus-no-server
1097 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1099 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1100 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1101 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1102 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1103 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1104 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1105 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1109 @section Slave Gnusae
1112 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1113 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1114 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1115 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1117 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1118 @file{.newsrc} file.
1120 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1121 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1122 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1123 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1124 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1125 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1126 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1129 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1130 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1131 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1132 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1133 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1134 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1135 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1136 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1138 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1139 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1141 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1142 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1143 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1144 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1145 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1152 @cindex subscription
1154 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1155 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1156 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1157 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1158 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1159 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1160 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1161 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1162 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1165 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1166 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1167 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1171 @node Checking New Groups
1172 @subsection Checking New Groups
1174 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1175 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1176 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1177 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1178 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1179 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1180 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1181 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1182 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1183 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1185 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1186 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1187 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1188 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1189 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1190 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1191 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1192 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1193 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1194 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1195 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1197 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1198 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1199 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1200 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1201 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1202 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1205 @node Subscription Methods
1206 @subsection Subscription Methods
1208 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1209 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1210 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1212 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1213 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1215 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1219 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1220 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1221 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1222 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1223 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1227 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1228 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1230 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1231 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1232 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1234 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1235 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1236 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1237 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1238 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1239 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1240 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1241 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1242 up. Or something like that.
1244 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1245 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1246 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1247 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1248 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1252 Kill all new groups.
1254 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1255 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1256 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1257 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1258 topic parameter that looks like
1264 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1267 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1272 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1273 A closely related variable is
1274 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1275 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1276 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1277 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1280 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1281 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1282 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1283 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1286 @node Filtering New Groups
1287 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1289 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1290 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1291 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1294 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1297 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1298 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1299 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1300 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1301 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1302 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1303 subscribing these groups.
1304 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1305 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1307 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1308 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1309 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1310 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1311 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1312 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1313 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1314 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1316 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1317 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1318 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1319 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1320 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1321 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1322 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1323 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1324 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1325 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1328 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1329 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1332 @node Changing Servers
1333 @section Changing Servers
1334 @cindex changing servers
1336 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1337 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1338 very flaky and you want to use another.
1340 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1341 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1345 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1346 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1347 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1348 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1351 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1352 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1353 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1354 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
1357 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1358 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1359 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1360 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1362 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1363 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1364 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1365 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1366 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1367 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1368 cache for all groups).
1372 @section Startup Files
1373 @cindex startup files
1378 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1379 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1380 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1383 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1384 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1385 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1386 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1387 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1388 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1389 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1391 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1392 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1393 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1394 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1395 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1396 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1398 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1399 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1400 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1401 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1402 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1403 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1404 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1405 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1406 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1407 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1408 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1411 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1412 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1413 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1414 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1415 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1416 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1417 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1418 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1419 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1420 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1421 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1422 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1424 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1425 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1426 @vindex version-control
1427 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1428 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1429 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1430 If you want version control for this file, set
1431 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1432 @code{version-control} variable.
1434 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1435 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1436 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1437 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1438 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1439 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1440 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1441 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1442 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1443 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1446 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1447 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1449 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1450 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1453 @vindex gnus-init-file
1454 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1455 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1456 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1457 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1458 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1459 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1460 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1461 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1462 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1463 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1464 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1465 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1466 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1471 @cindex dribble file
1474 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1475 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1476 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1477 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1478 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1481 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1482 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1485 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1486 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1487 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1489 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1490 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1491 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1492 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1493 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1494 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1496 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1497 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1498 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1501 @node The Active File
1502 @section The Active File
1504 @cindex ignored groups
1506 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1507 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1508 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1510 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1511 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1512 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1513 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1514 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1515 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1516 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1519 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1520 @c if you set it to anything else.
1522 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1524 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1525 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1526 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1528 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1529 you actually subscribe to.
1531 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1532 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1533 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1534 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1536 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1537 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1538 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1539 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1540 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1541 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1543 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1544 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1545 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1548 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1549 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1550 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1551 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1552 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1553 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1555 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1556 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1558 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1559 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1561 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1562 secondary select methods.
1565 @node Startup Variables
1566 @section Startup Variables
1570 @item gnus-load-hook
1571 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1572 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1573 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1574 times you start Gnus.
1576 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1577 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1578 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1580 @item gnus-startup-hook
1581 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1582 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1584 @item gnus-started-hook
1585 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1586 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1589 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1590 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1591 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1592 generating the group buffer.
1594 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1595 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1596 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1597 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1598 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1599 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1600 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1601 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1603 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1604 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1605 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1606 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1607 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1608 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1610 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1611 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1612 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1614 @item gnus-use-backend-marks
1615 @vindex gnus-use-backend-marks
1616 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will store article marks both in the
1617 @file{.newsrc.eld} file and in the backends. This will slow down
1618 group operation some.
1624 @chapter Group Buffer
1625 @cindex group buffer
1627 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1629 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1630 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1631 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1632 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1633 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1634 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1635 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1636 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1637 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1638 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1639 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1640 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1641 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1642 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1643 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1644 @c human rights at 9...
1647 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1648 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1649 long as Gnus is active.
1653 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1654 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1655 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1656 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1657 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1658 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1659 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1660 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1666 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1667 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1668 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1669 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1670 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1671 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1672 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1673 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1674 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1675 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1676 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1677 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1678 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1679 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1680 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1681 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1682 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1683 * Searching:: Mail search engines.
1684 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1688 @node Group Buffer Format
1689 @section Group Buffer Format
1692 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1693 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1694 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1697 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1698 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1701 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1702 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1703 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1704 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1707 @node Group Line Specification
1708 @subsection Group Line Specification
1709 @cindex group buffer format
1711 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1712 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1714 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1717 25: news.announce.newusers
1718 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1723 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1724 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1725 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1726 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1728 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1729 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1730 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1731 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1732 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1733 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1735 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1737 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1738 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1739 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1740 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1741 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1743 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1744 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1745 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1747 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1752 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1755 Whether the group is subscribed.
1758 Level of subscribedness.
1761 Number of unread articles.
1764 Number of dormant articles.
1767 Number of ticked articles.
1770 Number of read articles.
1773 Number of unseen articles.
1776 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1777 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1779 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1780 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1781 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1782 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1783 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1784 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1785 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1787 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1788 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1789 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1790 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1791 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1792 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1793 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1796 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1799 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1808 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1809 comment element in the group parameters.
1812 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1813 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1814 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1818 @samp{m} if moderated.
1821 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1827 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1833 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1837 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1840 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1841 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1842 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1843 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1844 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1847 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1849 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1853 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1856 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1860 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1861 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1862 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1863 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1866 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1867 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1868 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1869 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1870 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1871 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1876 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1877 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1878 group, or a bogus native group.
1881 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1882 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1883 @cindex group mode line
1885 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1886 The mode line can be changed by setting
1887 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1888 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1892 The native news server.
1894 The native select method.
1898 @node Group Highlighting
1899 @subsection Group Highlighting
1900 @cindex highlighting
1901 @cindex group highlighting
1903 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1904 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1905 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1906 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1907 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1909 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1913 (cond (window-system
1914 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1915 (defface my-group-face-1
1916 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1917 (defface my-group-face-2
1918 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1919 "Second group face")
1920 (defface my-group-face-3
1921 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1922 (defface my-group-face-4
1923 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1924 (defface my-group-face-5
1925 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1927 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1928 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1929 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1930 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1931 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1932 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1935 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1937 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1944 The number of unread articles in the group.
1948 Whether the group is a mail group.
1950 The level of the group.
1952 The score of the group.
1954 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1956 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1957 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1959 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1960 topic being inserted.
1963 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1964 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1965 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1967 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1968 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1969 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1970 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
1973 @node Group Maneuvering
1974 @section Group Maneuvering
1975 @cindex group movement
1977 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1978 expected, hopefully.
1984 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1985 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1986 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1992 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1993 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1994 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1998 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1999 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2003 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2004 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2008 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2009 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2010 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2014 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2015 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2016 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2019 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2025 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2026 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2027 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2032 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2033 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2034 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2038 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2039 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2040 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2043 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2044 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2045 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2046 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2049 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2050 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2051 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2052 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2055 @node Selecting a Group
2056 @section Selecting a Group
2057 @cindex group selection
2062 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2063 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2064 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2065 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2066 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2067 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2068 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2069 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2070 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2071 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2073 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2074 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2075 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2077 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2078 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2083 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2084 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2085 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2086 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2087 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2091 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2092 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2093 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2094 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2095 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2096 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2097 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2098 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2099 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2100 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2103 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2104 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2105 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2106 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2107 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2110 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2111 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2112 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2113 doing any processing of its contents
2114 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2115 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2116 manner will have no permanent effects.
2120 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2121 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2122 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2123 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2124 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2125 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2126 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2127 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2128 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2129 most recently will be fetched.
2131 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2132 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2133 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2136 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2137 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2138 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2139 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2140 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2141 are actually only the articles 1-10 and 29999900-30000000, Gnus doesn't
2142 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2143 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2144 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2145 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2146 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2147 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2148 get only the articles 29990001-30000000 (if the latest article number is
2149 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2150 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2151 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2152 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2154 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2155 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2156 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2157 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2158 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2159 Which article this is controlled by the
2160 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2166 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2169 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2172 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2174 @item unseen-or-unread
2175 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2176 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2180 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2184 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2185 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2187 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2188 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2189 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2190 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2194 @node Subscription Commands
2195 @section Subscription Commands
2196 @cindex subscription
2198 The following commands allow for managing your subscriptions in the
2199 Group buffer. If you want to subscribe to many groups, it's probably
2200 more convenient to go to the @ref{Server Buffer}, and choose the
2201 server there using @kbd{RET} or @kbd{SPC}. Then you'll have the
2202 commands listed in @ref{Browse Foreign Server} at hand.
2210 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2211 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2212 Toggle subscription to the current group
2213 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2219 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2220 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2221 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2222 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2228 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2229 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2230 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2236 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2237 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2240 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2241 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2242 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2243 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2244 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2250 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2251 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2255 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2256 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2259 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2260 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2261 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2262 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2263 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2264 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2265 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2266 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2267 @file{.newsrc} file.
2271 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2281 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2282 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2283 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2284 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2285 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2286 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2291 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2292 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2293 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2297 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2298 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2299 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2301 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2302 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2303 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2304 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2305 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2306 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2313 @section Group Levels
2317 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2318 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2319 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2320 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2321 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2323 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2329 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2330 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2331 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2332 prompted for a level.
2335 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2336 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2337 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2338 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2339 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2340 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2341 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2342 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2343 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2344 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2345 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2346 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2347 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2348 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2349 reasons of efficiency.
2351 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2352 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2354 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2355 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2356 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2357 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2358 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2359 groups are hidden, in a way.
2361 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2362 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2363 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2364 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2365 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2366 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2368 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2369 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2370 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2371 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2372 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2373 list of killed groups.)
2375 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2376 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2377 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2379 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2380 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2381 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2382 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2383 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2384 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2385 relevant valid ranges.
2387 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2388 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2389 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2390 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2391 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2392 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2395 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2396 one with the best level.
2398 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2399 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2400 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2402 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2403 be called and the result will be used as value.
2406 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2407 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2408 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2409 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2412 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2413 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2414 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2415 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2417 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2418 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2419 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2420 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2421 to 5. The default is 6.
2425 @section Group Score
2430 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2431 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2432 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2435 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2436 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2437 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2438 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2439 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2440 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2441 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2442 least significant part.))
2444 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2445 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2446 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2447 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2448 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2449 action after each summary exit, you can add
2450 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2451 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2452 slow things down somewhat.
2455 @node Marking Groups
2456 @section Marking Groups
2457 @cindex marking groups
2459 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2460 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2461 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2462 bidding on those groups.
2464 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2465 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2466 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2474 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2475 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2481 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2482 Remove the mark from the current group
2483 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2487 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2488 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2492 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2493 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2498 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2502 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2503 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2504 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2507 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2509 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2510 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2511 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2512 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2513 the command to be executed.
2516 @node Foreign Groups
2517 @section Foreign Groups
2518 @cindex foreign groups
2520 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2521 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2522 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2523 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2526 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2527 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2528 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2534 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2535 @cindex making groups
2536 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2537 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2538 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2542 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2543 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2544 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2548 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2549 @cindex renaming groups
2550 Rename the current group to something else
2551 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2552 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2558 @findex gnus-group-customize
2559 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2563 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2564 @cindex renaming groups
2565 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2566 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2570 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2571 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2572 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2576 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2577 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2578 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2582 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2584 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2585 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2590 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2591 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2595 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2597 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2598 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2599 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2604 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2606 Make a group based on some file or other
2607 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2608 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2609 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2610 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2611 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2612 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2613 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2614 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2615 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2619 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2620 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2621 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2622 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2626 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2630 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2631 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2632 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2633 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2634 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2635 @xref{Web Searches}.
2637 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2638 to a particular group by using a match string like
2639 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2643 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2644 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2645 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2649 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2650 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2651 This function will delete the current group
2652 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2653 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2654 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2655 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2656 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2660 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2661 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2662 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2666 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2667 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2668 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2671 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2674 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2675 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2676 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2677 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2678 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2679 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2683 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2684 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2687 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2688 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2689 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2690 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2691 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2692 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2695 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2696 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2697 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2698 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2699 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include e.g.
2700 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2701 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2702 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2703 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2704 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2706 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2707 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2708 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2709 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2710 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2712 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2713 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2714 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2715 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2718 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2726 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2727 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2728 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2732 @node Group Parameters
2733 @section Group Parameters
2734 @cindex group parameters
2736 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2738 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2739 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2740 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2741 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2742 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2743 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2744 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2746 Here's an example group parameter list:
2749 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2753 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2754 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2755 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2756 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2758 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2759 is an alist of regexps and values.
2761 The following group parameters can be used:
2766 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2769 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2772 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2773 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2774 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2775 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2776 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2778 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2779 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2780 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2781 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2782 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2783 list address instead.
2785 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2789 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2792 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2795 It is totally ignored
2796 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2797 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2799 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2800 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2801 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2802 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2803 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2805 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2806 @cindex mail list groups
2807 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2808 entering summary buffer.
2810 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2815 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2816 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2817 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2818 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2819 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2820 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2821 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2822 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2825 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2826 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2829 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2830 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2834 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2835 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2836 of whether it has any unread articles.
2838 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2839 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2841 @item broken-reply-to
2842 @cindex broken-reply-to
2843 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2844 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2845 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2846 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2847 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2848 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2852 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2853 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2857 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2858 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2859 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2864 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2865 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2866 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2867 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2868 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2869 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2870 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2872 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2873 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2874 doesn't accept articles.
2878 @cindex expiring mail
2879 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2880 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2881 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2883 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2886 @cindex total-expire
2887 @cindex expiring mail
2888 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2889 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2890 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2891 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2894 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2898 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2899 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2900 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2901 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2902 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2903 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2904 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2907 @cindex expiry-target
2908 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2909 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2912 @cindex score file group parameter
2913 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2914 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2915 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2918 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2919 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2920 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2921 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2924 @cindex admin-address
2925 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2926 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2927 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2928 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2932 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2933 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2937 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2940 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2941 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2944 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2948 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2950 Here are some examples:
2954 Display only unread articles.
2957 Display everything except expirable articles.
2959 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2960 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2964 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2965 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2966 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2967 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2968 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2972 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2973 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2974 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2978 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2979 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2980 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2984 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2985 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2986 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2988 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2990 @item ignored-charsets
2991 @cindex ignored-charset
2992 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2993 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2994 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2996 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2999 @cindex posting-style
3000 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3001 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3002 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3003 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3004 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3006 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3007 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3008 like this in the group parameters:
3013 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3014 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3017 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3018 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3019 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3020 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3021 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3022 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3028 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3029 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3033 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3034 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3035 mail source for this group.
3039 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3040 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3041 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3042 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3043 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3047 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3048 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3049 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3050 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3052 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3053 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3054 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3055 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3058 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3059 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3063 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3064 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3065 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3066 like the following is generated:
3069 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3070 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3074 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3075 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3077 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3078 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3080 @item (agent parameters)
3081 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of its parameters to
3082 control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3083 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3084 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3085 minimize the configuration effort.
3087 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3088 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3089 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3090 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3091 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3092 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3093 @code{eval}ed there.
3095 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3096 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3097 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3098 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3099 form needs to be set to it.
3101 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3102 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3103 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3104 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3105 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3106 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3107 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3110 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3113 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3114 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3115 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3118 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3121 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3122 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3123 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3124 into the group parameters for the group.
3126 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3127 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3128 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3129 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3130 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3132 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3133 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3134 following is added to a group parameter
3137 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3138 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3141 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3146 @vindex gnus-parameters
3147 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3148 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3149 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3153 (setq gnus-parameters
3155 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3156 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3157 (gnus-summary-line-format
3158 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3162 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3166 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3170 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3173 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3174 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3176 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3177 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3178 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3179 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3180 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3181 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3182 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3183 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3184 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3185 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3186 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3187 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3189 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3190 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3191 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3192 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3193 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3194 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3195 weekly news RSS feed
3196 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3202 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3203 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3204 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3205 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3206 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3208 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3209 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3210 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3211 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3212 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3213 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3217 @node Listing Groups
3218 @section Listing Groups
3219 @cindex group listing
3221 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3229 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3230 List all groups that have unread articles
3231 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3232 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3233 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3234 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3241 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3242 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3243 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3244 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3245 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3246 unsubscribed groups).
3250 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3251 List all unread groups on a specific level
3252 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3253 with no unread articles.
3257 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3258 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3259 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3260 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3265 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3266 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3270 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3271 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3272 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3276 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3277 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3281 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3282 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3283 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3284 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3285 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3286 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3287 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3288 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3292 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3293 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3294 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3298 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3299 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3300 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3304 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3305 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3309 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3310 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3314 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3315 List groups limited within the current selection
3316 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3320 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3321 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3325 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3326 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3330 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3331 @cindex visible group parameter
3332 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3333 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3334 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3335 get the same effect.
3337 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3338 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3339 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3340 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3341 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3344 @node Sorting Groups
3345 @section Sorting Groups
3346 @cindex sorting groups
3348 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3349 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3350 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3351 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3352 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3353 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3358 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3359 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3360 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3362 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3363 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3364 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3366 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3367 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3368 Sort by group level.
3370 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3371 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3372 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3374 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3375 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3376 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3377 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3379 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3380 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3381 Sort by number of unread articles.
3383 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3384 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3385 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3387 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3388 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3389 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3394 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3395 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3399 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3400 some sorting criteria:
3404 @kindex G S a (Group)
3405 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3406 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3407 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3410 @kindex G S u (Group)
3411 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3412 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3413 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3416 @kindex G S l (Group)
3417 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3418 Sort the group buffer by group level
3419 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3422 @kindex G S v (Group)
3423 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3424 Sort the group buffer by group score
3425 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3428 @kindex G S r (Group)
3429 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3430 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3431 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3434 @kindex G S m (Group)
3435 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3436 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3437 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3440 @kindex G S n (Group)
3441 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3442 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3443 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3447 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3448 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3450 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3451 commands will sort in reverse order.
3453 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3457 @kindex G P a (Group)
3458 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3459 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3460 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3463 @kindex G P u (Group)
3464 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3465 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3466 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3469 @kindex G P l (Group)
3470 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3471 Sort the groups by group level
3472 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3475 @kindex G P v (Group)
3476 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3477 Sort the groups by group score
3478 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3481 @kindex G P r (Group)
3482 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3483 Sort the groups by group rank
3484 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3487 @kindex G P m (Group)
3488 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3489 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3490 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3493 @kindex G P n (Group)
3494 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3495 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3496 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3499 @kindex G P s (Group)
3500 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3501 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3505 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3509 @node Group Maintenance
3510 @section Group Maintenance
3511 @cindex bogus groups
3516 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3517 Find bogus groups and delete them
3518 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3522 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3523 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3524 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3525 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3526 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3530 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3531 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3532 @cindex expiring mail
3533 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3534 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3535 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3536 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3539 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3540 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3541 @cindex expiring mail
3542 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3543 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3548 @node Browse Foreign Server
3549 @section Browse Foreign Server
3550 @cindex foreign servers
3551 @cindex browsing servers
3556 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3557 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3558 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3559 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3562 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3563 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3564 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3565 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3567 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3572 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3573 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3577 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3578 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3581 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3582 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3583 Enter the current group and display the first article
3584 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3587 @kindex RET (Browse)
3588 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3589 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3593 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3594 @vindex gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method
3595 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3596 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}). You
3597 can affect the way the new group is entered into the Group buffer
3598 using the variable @code{gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method}. See
3599 @pxref{Subscription Methods} for available options.
3605 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3606 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3610 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3611 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3615 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3616 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3617 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3622 @section Exiting Gnus
3623 @cindex exiting Gnus
3625 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3630 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3631 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3632 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3633 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3637 @findex gnus-group-exit
3638 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3639 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3643 @findex gnus-group-quit
3644 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3645 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3648 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3649 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3650 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3651 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3652 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3653 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3659 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3660 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3661 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3667 @section Group Topics
3670 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3671 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3672 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3673 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3674 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3675 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3679 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3680 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3691 2: alt.religion.emacs
3694 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3696 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3697 13: comp.sources.unix
3700 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3702 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3703 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3704 is a toggling command.)
3706 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3707 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3708 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3709 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3712 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3713 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3714 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3717 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3721 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3722 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3723 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3724 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3725 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3729 @node Topic Commands
3730 @subsection Topic Commands
3731 @cindex topic commands
3733 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3734 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3735 definitions slightly.
3737 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3738 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3739 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3740 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3741 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3742 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3744 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3751 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3752 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3753 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3757 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3759 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3760 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3761 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3762 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3765 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3766 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3767 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3768 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3772 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3773 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3774 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3775 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3781 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3782 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3783 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3787 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3788 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3789 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3792 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3793 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3794 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3795 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3796 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3798 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3799 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3803 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3804 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3811 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3813 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3814 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3815 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3816 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3817 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3818 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3822 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3828 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3829 Move the current group to some other topic
3830 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3831 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3835 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3836 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3840 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3841 Copy the current group to some other topic
3842 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3843 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3847 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3848 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3849 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3853 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3854 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3855 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3859 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3860 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3861 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3862 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3863 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3864 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3865 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3868 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3869 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3873 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3874 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3875 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3879 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3880 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3881 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3885 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3886 Toggle hiding empty topics
3887 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3891 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3892 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3893 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3894 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3897 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3898 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3899 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3900 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3901 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3904 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3905 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3906 @cindex expiring mail
3907 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3908 expiry process (if any)
3909 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3913 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3914 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3917 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3918 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3919 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3923 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3924 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3925 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3928 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3929 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3930 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3933 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3934 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3935 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3939 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3940 @cindex group parameters
3941 @cindex topic parameters
3943 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3944 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3949 @node Topic Variables
3950 @subsection Topic Variables
3951 @cindex topic variables
3953 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3954 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3956 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3957 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3958 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3971 Number of groups in the topic.
3973 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3975 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3978 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3979 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3980 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3983 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3984 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3986 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3987 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3988 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3992 @subsection Topic Sorting
3993 @cindex topic sorting
3995 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4001 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4002 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4003 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4004 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4007 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4008 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4009 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4010 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4013 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4014 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4015 Sort the current topic by group level
4016 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4019 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4020 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4021 Sort the current topic by group score
4022 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4025 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4026 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4027 Sort the current topic by group rank
4028 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4031 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4032 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4033 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4034 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4037 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4038 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4039 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4040 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4043 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4044 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4045 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4046 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4047 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4051 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4052 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4056 @node Topic Topology
4057 @subsection Topic Topology
4058 @cindex topic topology
4061 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4068 2: alt.religion.emacs
4071 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4073 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4074 13: comp.sources.unix
4078 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4079 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4080 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4085 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4086 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4090 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4091 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4092 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4093 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4094 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4095 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4097 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4098 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4099 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4102 @node Topic Parameters
4103 @subsection Topic Parameters
4104 @cindex topic parameters
4106 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4107 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4108 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4109 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4110 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4112 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4117 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4118 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4119 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4122 @item subscribe-level
4123 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4124 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4125 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4129 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4130 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4131 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4132 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4139 2: alt.religion.emacs
4143 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4145 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4146 13: comp.sources.unix
4151 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4152 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4153 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4154 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4155 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4156 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4158 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4159 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4160 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4161 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4162 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4164 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4165 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4166 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4167 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4168 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4169 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4170 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4171 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4174 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4175 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4176 @cindex non-ascii group names
4178 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4179 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4180 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4181 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4182 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4183 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4184 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4187 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4188 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4189 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4190 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4191 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4192 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4193 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4194 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4197 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4198 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4199 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4200 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4201 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4204 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4205 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4208 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4209 ones specified for the same groups with the
4210 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4212 A select method can be very long, like:
4216 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4217 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4218 (nntp-open-connection-function
4219 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4220 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4221 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4222 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4223 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4226 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4227 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4230 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4231 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4232 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4233 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4234 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4235 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4238 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4239 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4243 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4244 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4247 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4248 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4249 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4250 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4251 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4252 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4254 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4258 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4259 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4260 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4261 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4262 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4263 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4265 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the @acronym{NNTP}
4266 marks feature (@pxref{NNTP marks}), the agent, and the cache use
4267 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and directories. This
4268 variable overrides the value of @code{file-name-coding-system} which
4269 specifies the coding system used when encoding and decoding those file
4270 names and directory names.
4272 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4273 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4274 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4275 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4276 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4277 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4279 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4280 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4281 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4282 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4284 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4285 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4286 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4287 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4289 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4290 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4291 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4292 typical case where you have to customize
4293 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4294 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4295 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4296 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4299 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4300 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4301 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4302 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4309 * nnir:: Searching on IMAP, with swish, namazu, etc.
4310 * nnmairix:: Searching maildir, MH or mbox with Mairix.
4315 FIXME: This node is a stub.
4317 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
4318 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
4321 FIXME: Explain difference to @ref{Searching for Articles}, add reference
4327 FIXME: As a first step, convert the commentary of @file{nnir} to texi.
4331 @subsection nnmairix
4335 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
4336 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
4337 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
4338 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
4341 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
4342 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
4343 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
4344 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
4345 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
4346 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
4347 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
4348 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
4349 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
4352 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
4353 @c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
4354 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
4357 @subsubsection About mairix
4359 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
4360 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
4361 GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
4362 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
4364 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
4366 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
4367 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
4368 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
4369 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
4370 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
4371 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
4372 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
4373 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
4376 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
4377 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
4378 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
4379 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
4380 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
4381 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
4382 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
4383 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
4386 @node nnmairix requirements
4387 @subsubsection nnmairix requirements
4389 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
4390 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
4391 server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
4392 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
4394 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
4395 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
4396 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
4397 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
4399 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
4400 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
4401 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
4402 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
4403 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
4404 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
4406 @node What nnmairix does
4407 @subsubsection What nnmairix does
4409 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
4410 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
4411 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
4412 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
4413 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
4414 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
4415 mails are in different folders.
4417 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
4418 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
4419 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
4420 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
4421 new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
4422 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
4424 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
4425 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
4426 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
4427 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
4428 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
4429 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
4430 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
4431 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
4432 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
4433 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
4434 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
4436 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
4437 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
4438 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
4439 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
4440 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
4441 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
4442 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
4443 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
4444 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
4445 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
4446 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
4447 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
4448 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
4449 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
4450 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
4451 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
4453 @node Setting up mairix
4454 @subsubsection Setting up mairix
4456 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
4458 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
4459 (at least) the following entries:
4462 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
4466 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
4467 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
4468 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
4469 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
4472 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
4473 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
4474 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
4477 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
4478 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
4479 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
4480 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
4481 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
4487 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
4488 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
4489 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
4490 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
4493 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
4494 database= ... location of database file ...
4497 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
4498 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
4499 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
4501 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
4505 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
4506 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
4507 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
4510 database=~/.mairixdatabase
4513 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
4514 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
4515 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
4516 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
4517 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
4518 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
4519 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
4520 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
4521 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
4522 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
4523 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
4524 The other lines should be obvious.
4526 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
4527 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
4528 than you are used to.
4530 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
4531 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
4532 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
4534 @node Configuring nnmairix
4535 @subsubsection Configuring nnmairix
4537 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
4538 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
4539 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
4540 server. You will have to specify the following:
4545 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
4549 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
4550 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
4551 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
4552 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
4553 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
4554 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
4555 However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
4556 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
4557 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
4558 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
4559 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might loose mail
4560 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
4561 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
4562 @code{nnimap} server here.
4565 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
4566 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
4567 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
4568 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
4569 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
4570 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
4571 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
4574 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
4575 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
4576 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
4580 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
4581 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
4582 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
4583 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
4584 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
4588 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4589 @subsubsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
4596 @kindex G b c (Group)
4597 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
4598 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
4599 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
4600 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
4603 @kindex G b s (Group)
4604 @findex nnmairix-search
4605 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
4606 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
4607 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
4610 @kindex G b m (Group)
4611 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
4612 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
4613 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
4614 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
4617 @kindex G b i (Group)
4618 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
4619 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
4620 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
4623 @kindex G b g (Group)
4624 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
4625 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
4626 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
4627 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
4631 @kindex G b q (Group)
4632 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
4633 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
4634 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
4637 @kindex G b t (Group)
4638 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
4639 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
4640 i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
4641 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
4644 @kindex G b u (Group)
4645 @findex nnmairix-update-database
4646 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
4647 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
4648 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
4649 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
4650 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
4654 @kindex G b r (Group)
4655 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
4656 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
4657 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
4660 @kindex G b d (Group)
4661 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
4662 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
4663 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
4664 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
4667 @kindex G b a (Group)
4668 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
4669 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
4670 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
4671 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
4672 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
4673 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
4674 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
4675 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
4676 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
4679 @kindex G b p (Group)
4680 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
4681 Toggle marks propagation for this group
4682 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
4686 @kindex G b o (Group)
4687 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
4688 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
4689 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
4698 @kindex $ m (Summary)
4699 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
4700 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
4701 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
4702 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
4705 @kindex $ g (Summary)
4706 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
4707 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
4708 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
4709 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
4712 @kindex $ t (Summary)
4713 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
4714 Searches thread for the current article
4715 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
4716 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
4717 current article and enabled threads.
4720 @kindex $ f (Summary)
4721 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
4722 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
4723 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
4724 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
4727 @kindex $ o (Summary)
4728 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
4729 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
4730 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
4731 e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
4732 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
4733 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
4734 article file name as a fallback method.
4737 @kindex $ u (Summary)
4738 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
4739 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
4740 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
4745 @node Propagating marks
4746 @subsubsection Propagating marks
4748 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
4749 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
4750 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
4752 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
4754 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
4755 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
4756 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
4757 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
4760 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
4761 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
4762 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
4763 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
4764 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
4765 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
4766 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
4767 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
4768 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
4769 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
4771 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
4772 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
4773 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
4774 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
4775 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
4776 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
4777 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
4779 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
4780 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
4781 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
4782 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
4783 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
4784 even more cumbersome.
4786 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
4787 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
4788 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
4790 Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
4791 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
4792 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
4793 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
4794 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
4795 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
4796 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
4798 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
4799 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
4800 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
4801 magically be set for the original article, too.
4803 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
4805 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
4806 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
4807 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
4808 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
4809 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
4810 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
4813 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
4814 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
4815 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
4816 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
4817 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
4818 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
4819 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
4821 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
4822 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
4823 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
4824 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
4825 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
4826 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
4827 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
4829 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
4830 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
4831 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
4832 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
4833 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
4834 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
4835 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
4836 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
4837 maildir as its file format.
4839 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
4840 If you work with this setup, just set
4841 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
4842 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
4843 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
4844 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
4845 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
4846 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
4848 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
4849 @subsubsection nnmairix tips and tricks
4855 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
4856 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
4857 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
4860 I use the following to check for mails:
4863 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
4865 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
4866 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
4867 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
4868 (gnus-group-list-groups))
4870 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
4873 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
4874 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
4878 Example: search group for ticked articles
4880 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
4881 articles always stay unread:
4883 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
4884 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
4886 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
4887 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
4889 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
4890 group? There are two options: You may simply use
4891 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
4892 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
4893 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
4894 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
4895 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
4896 e.g. by marking an article as read.
4898 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
4899 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
4900 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
4901 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
4902 snippet and the doc string for details.
4905 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
4907 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
4908 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
4909 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
4910 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
4911 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
4912 @code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
4913 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
4914 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
4915 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
4916 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
4917 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
4918 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
4921 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
4922 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
4927 @node nnmairix caveats
4928 @subsubsection nnmairix caveats
4932 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
4933 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
4934 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
4935 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
4936 an example server definition:
4939 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
4942 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
4943 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
4944 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
4948 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
4949 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
4950 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}). Be @emph{extra careful} if
4951 you use @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are
4952 split into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as
4953 you check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
4956 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
4957 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
4960 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
4961 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
4964 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
4967 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
4968 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
4969 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
4970 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
4971 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
4972 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
4976 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
4977 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
4978 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
4979 it is gone for good.
4982 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
4983 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
4984 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
4985 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
4986 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
4987 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
4988 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
4989 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
4990 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
4993 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
4994 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
4996 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
4997 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
4998 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
4999 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
5000 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
5001 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
5002 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
5003 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
5004 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
5005 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
5006 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
5007 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
5011 @node Misc Group Stuff
5012 @section Misc Group Stuff
5015 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
5016 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
5017 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
5018 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
5019 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
5026 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
5027 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5028 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5031 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
5034 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
5037 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
5038 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
5042 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
5043 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
5044 @xref{Server Buffer}.
5048 @findex gnus-group-post-news
5049 Start composing a message (a news by default)
5050 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
5051 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5052 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
5053 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
5054 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5058 @findex gnus-group-mail
5059 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
5060 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
5061 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5062 @xref{Composing Messages}.
5066 @findex gnus-group-news
5067 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
5068 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
5069 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
5071 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5072 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5073 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5074 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5075 for this to work though.
5079 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
5081 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
5082 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
5083 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
5088 Variables for the group buffer:
5092 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
5093 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
5094 is called after the group buffer has been
5097 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
5098 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5099 is called after the group buffer is
5100 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
5103 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
5104 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
5105 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
5106 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
5108 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5109 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
5110 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
5111 whether they are empty or not.
5115 @node Scanning New Messages
5116 @subsection Scanning New Messages
5117 @cindex new messages
5118 @cindex scanning new news
5124 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
5125 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
5126 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
5127 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
5128 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
5129 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
5134 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
5135 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
5136 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
5137 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
5138 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
5139 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
5140 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
5142 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
5143 @cindex activating groups
5145 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
5146 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
5151 @findex gnus-group-restart
5152 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
5153 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
5154 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
5158 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
5159 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
5161 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
5162 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
5166 @node Group Information
5167 @subsection Group Information
5168 @cindex group information
5169 @cindex information on groups
5176 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
5177 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5180 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
5181 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
5182 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
5183 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5184 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5185 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
5186 used for fetching the file.
5188 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
5189 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
5193 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
5194 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
5195 @cindex control message
5196 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
5197 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
5198 group if given a prefix argument.
5200 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
5201 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
5202 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
5203 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
5205 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
5206 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
5207 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
5211 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
5213 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
5214 @cindex describing groups
5215 @cindex group description
5216 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
5217 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
5218 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
5222 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
5223 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
5224 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
5231 @findex gnus-version
5232 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
5236 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
5237 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
5240 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
5243 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5244 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5248 @node Group Timestamp
5249 @subsection Group Timestamp
5251 @cindex group timestamps
5253 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
5254 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
5255 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
5258 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
5261 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
5263 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
5264 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
5267 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5268 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
5271 This will result in lines looking like:
5274 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
5275 0: custom 19961002T012713
5278 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
5279 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
5283 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5284 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
5287 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
5288 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
5292 (setq gnus-group-line-format
5293 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
5294 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
5295 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
5297 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
5303 @subsection File Commands
5304 @cindex file commands
5310 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
5311 @vindex gnus-init-file
5312 @cindex reading init file
5313 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
5314 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
5318 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
5319 @cindex saving .newsrc
5320 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
5321 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
5322 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
5325 @c @kindex Z (Group)
5326 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
5327 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
5332 @node Sieve Commands
5333 @subsection Sieve Commands
5334 @cindex group sieve commands
5336 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
5337 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
5338 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
5339 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
5340 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
5342 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5343 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
5344 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
5345 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
5346 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
5347 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
5348 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
5349 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
5350 regenerate the Sieve script.
5352 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
5353 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
5354 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
5355 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
5356 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
5357 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
5358 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
5359 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
5360 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
5361 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
5364 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
5365 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
5370 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
5376 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
5377 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5378 @cindex generating sieve script
5379 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
5380 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
5384 @findex gnus-sieve-update
5385 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
5386 @cindex updating sieve script
5387 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
5388 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
5389 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
5394 @node Summary Buffer
5395 @chapter Summary Buffer
5396 @cindex summary buffer
5398 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
5399 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
5401 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
5402 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
5404 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
5406 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
5407 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
5411 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
5412 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
5413 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
5415 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
5419 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
5420 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
5421 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
5422 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
5423 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
5424 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
5425 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
5426 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
5427 * Threading:: How threads are made.
5428 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
5429 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
5430 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
5431 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
5432 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
5433 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
5434 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
5435 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
5436 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
5437 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
5438 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
5439 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
5440 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
5441 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
5442 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
5443 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
5444 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
5445 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
5446 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
5447 or reselecting the current group.
5448 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
5449 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
5450 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
5451 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
5455 @node Summary Buffer Format
5456 @section Summary Buffer Format
5457 @cindex summary buffer format
5461 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
5462 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
5463 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
5469 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
5470 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
5471 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
5472 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
5475 @findex mail-extract-address-components
5476 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
5477 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
5478 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
5479 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
5480 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
5481 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
5482 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
5483 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
5484 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
5485 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
5488 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
5489 'mail-extract-address-components)
5492 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
5493 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
5494 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
5495 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
5498 @node Summary Buffer Lines
5499 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
5501 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5502 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
5503 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
5504 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
5505 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
5507 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
5508 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
5509 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
5510 possible to change this. Just write a new function
5511 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
5512 @xref{Positioning Point}.
5514 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
5516 The following format specification characters and extended format
5517 specification(s) are understood:
5523 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
5524 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
5526 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
5527 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
5528 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
5530 Full @code{From} header.
5532 The name (from the @code{From} header).
5534 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
5537 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
5538 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
5539 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
5540 may be more thorough.
5542 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
5545 Number of lines in the article.
5547 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
5548 in some methods (like nnfolder).
5550 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
5551 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
5553 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5555 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
5556 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
5569 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
5570 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
5571 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
5572 line-drawing glyphs.
5574 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5575 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
5576 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
5577 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5579 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5580 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
5581 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
5582 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
5584 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5585 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
5586 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
5587 instead. The default is @samp{}.
5589 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5590 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
5591 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
5593 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5594 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
5595 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
5597 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5598 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
5599 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
5601 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5602 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
5603 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
5608 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
5609 pushes everything after it off the screen).
5611 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
5612 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
5614 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
5615 for adopted articles.
5617 One space for each thread level.
5619 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
5621 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
5624 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
5625 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
5626 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
5629 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
5631 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
5632 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
5633 default level. If the difference between
5634 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
5635 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
5643 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
5645 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
5651 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
5652 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
5654 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
5655 article has any children.
5661 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
5663 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
5664 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
5666 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
5667 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
5668 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
5669 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
5670 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
5671 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
5674 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
5675 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
5676 There can only be one such area.
5678 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
5679 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
5680 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
5681 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
5682 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
5683 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
5685 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
5686 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
5688 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
5691 @node To From Newsgroups
5692 @subsection To From Newsgroups
5696 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
5697 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
5698 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
5699 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
5700 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
5704 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
5705 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
5706 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5710 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5711 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5714 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5715 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5718 @findex gnus-extra-header
5719 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5720 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5721 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5724 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5728 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5729 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5730 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5731 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5732 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5733 headers are used instead.
5735 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5736 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5737 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5738 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5739 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5740 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5744 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5745 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5746 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5747 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5748 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5749 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
5752 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5753 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5754 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5755 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5757 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5761 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5763 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5764 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5765 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5766 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5770 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5773 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5774 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5777 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5778 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5779 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5785 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5786 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5789 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5790 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5792 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5793 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5794 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5795 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5797 Here are the elements you can play with:
5803 Unprefixed group name.
5805 Current article number.
5807 Current article score.
5811 Number of unread articles in this group.
5813 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5816 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5817 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5818 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5819 and no unselected ones.
5821 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5822 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5824 Subject of the current article.
5826 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5828 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5830 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5832 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5834 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5836 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5840 @node Summary Highlighting
5841 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5845 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5846 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5847 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5848 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5849 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5851 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5852 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5853 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5854 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5856 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5857 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5858 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5859 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5861 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5862 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5863 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5864 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5865 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5866 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5869 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5870 ((> score default) . bold))
5872 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5873 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5877 @node Summary Maneuvering
5878 @section Summary Maneuvering
5879 @cindex summary movement
5881 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5882 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5884 None of these commands select articles.
5889 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5890 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5892 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5893 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5897 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5898 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5899 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5900 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5901 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5904 @kindex G g (Summary)
5905 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5906 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5907 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5910 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5911 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5912 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5913 to the group buffer.
5915 Variables related to summary movement:
5919 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5920 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5921 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5922 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5923 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5924 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5925 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5926 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5927 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5928 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5929 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5930 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5931 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5932 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5934 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5935 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5936 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5937 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5938 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5939 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5940 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5942 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5944 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5945 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5946 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5947 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5948 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5950 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5951 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5952 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5953 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5954 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5955 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5956 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5957 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5960 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5961 the given number of lines from the top.
5963 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5964 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5965 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
5966 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
5971 @node Choosing Articles
5972 @section Choosing Articles
5973 @cindex selecting articles
5976 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5977 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5981 @node Choosing Commands
5982 @subsection Choosing Commands
5984 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5985 and they all select and display an article.
5987 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5988 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5992 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5993 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5994 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5995 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5997 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5998 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5999 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
6004 @kindex G n (Summary)
6005 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
6006 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
6007 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
6012 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
6013 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
6014 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
6019 @kindex G N (Summary)
6020 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
6021 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
6026 @kindex G P (Summary)
6027 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
6028 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
6031 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
6032 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
6033 Go to the next article with the same subject
6034 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
6037 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
6038 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
6039 Go to the previous article with the same subject
6040 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
6044 @kindex G f (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
6047 Go to the first unread article
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
6052 @kindex G b (Summary)
6054 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
6055 Go to the unread article with the highest score
6056 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
6057 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
6062 @kindex G l (Summary)
6063 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
6064 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
6067 @kindex G o (Summary)
6068 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
6070 @cindex article history
6071 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
6072 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
6073 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
6074 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
6075 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
6076 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
6081 @kindex G j (Summary)
6082 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
6083 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
6084 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
6089 @node Choosing Variables
6090 @subsection Choosing Variables
6092 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
6095 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6096 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
6097 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
6098 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
6099 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
6100 the server and display it in the article buffer.
6102 @item gnus-select-article-hook
6103 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
6104 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
6105 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
6106 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
6109 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
6110 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
6111 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
6112 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
6113 @findex gnus-unread-mark
6114 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
6115 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
6116 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
6117 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
6118 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
6119 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
6120 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
6121 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
6122 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
6127 @node Paging the Article
6128 @section Scrolling the Article
6129 @cindex article scrolling
6134 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
6136 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
6137 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
6138 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
6140 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
6141 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
6142 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
6143 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
6144 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
6145 what is considered uninteresting with
6146 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
6147 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
6150 @kindex DEL (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
6152 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
6155 @kindex RET (Summary)
6156 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
6157 Scroll the current article one line forward
6158 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
6161 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
6162 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
6163 Scroll the current article one line backward
6164 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
6168 @kindex A g (Summary)
6170 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
6171 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6172 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
6173 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
6174 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
6175 the way it came from the server.
6177 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
6178 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
6179 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
6180 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
6183 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
6188 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
6193 @kindex A < (Summary)
6194 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
6195 Scroll to the beginning of the article
6196 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
6201 @kindex A > (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
6203 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
6207 @kindex A s (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
6210 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
6211 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
6215 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
6216 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
6221 @node Reply Followup and Post
6222 @section Reply, Followup and Post
6225 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
6226 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
6227 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
6228 * Canceling and Superseding::
6232 @node Summary Mail Commands
6233 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
6235 @cindex composing mail
6237 Commands for composing a mail message:
6243 @kindex S r (Summary)
6245 @findex gnus-summary-reply
6246 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
6247 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
6248 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
6249 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
6254 @kindex S R (Summary)
6255 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
6256 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
6257 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6258 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
6259 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6262 @kindex S w (Summary)
6263 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
6264 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
6265 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
6266 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6267 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
6268 present, that's used instead.
6271 @kindex S W (Summary)
6272 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
6273 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
6274 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
6275 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
6276 first article to determine the recipients.
6279 @kindex S v (Summary)
6280 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
6281 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
6282 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
6283 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
6284 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
6285 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
6288 @kindex S V (Summary)
6289 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
6290 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
6291 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
6292 command uses the process/prefix convention.
6295 @kindex S B r (Summary)
6296 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
6297 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
6298 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
6299 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
6300 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
6301 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
6302 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
6305 @kindex S B R (Summary)
6306 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
6307 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
6308 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
6309 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
6313 @kindex S o m (Summary)
6314 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
6315 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
6316 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
6317 Forward the current article to some other person
6318 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
6319 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
6320 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6321 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6322 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6323 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6324 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6325 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6326 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
6332 @kindex S m (Summary)
6333 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
6334 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
6335 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
6336 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6337 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
6340 @kindex S i (Summary)
6341 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
6342 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
6343 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
6344 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
6346 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
6347 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
6348 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
6349 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
6350 for this to work though.
6353 @kindex S D b (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
6355 @cindex bouncing mail
6356 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
6357 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
6358 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
6359 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
6360 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
6361 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
6362 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
6363 very well fail, though.
6366 @kindex S D r (Summary)
6367 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
6368 Not to be confused with the previous command,
6369 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
6370 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
6371 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
6372 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
6373 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
6374 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
6375 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
6377 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
6378 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
6379 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
6380 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
6381 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
6383 This command understands the process/prefix convention
6384 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6387 @kindex S D e (Summary)
6388 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
6390 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
6391 if it were a new message before resending.
6394 @kindex S O m (Summary)
6395 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
6396 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
6397 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
6398 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6401 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
6402 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
6403 @cindex crossposting
6404 @cindex excessive crossposting
6405 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
6406 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
6408 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
6409 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
6410 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
6411 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
6412 command understands the process/prefix convention
6413 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
6417 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6418 Manual}, for more information.
6421 @node Summary Post Commands
6422 @subsection Summary Post Commands
6424 @cindex composing news
6426 Commands for posting a news article:
6432 @kindex S p (Summary)
6433 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
6434 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
6435 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
6436 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
6437 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
6442 @kindex S f (Summary)
6443 @findex gnus-summary-followup
6444 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
6445 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
6449 @kindex S F (Summary)
6451 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
6452 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
6453 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
6454 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
6455 process/prefix convention.
6458 @kindex S n (Summary)
6459 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
6460 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6461 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
6464 @kindex S N (Summary)
6465 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
6466 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
6467 message through mail and include the original message
6468 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
6469 the process/prefix convention.
6472 @kindex S o p (Summary)
6473 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
6474 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
6475 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
6476 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
6477 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
6478 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
6479 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
6480 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
6481 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
6482 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
6483 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
6484 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
6487 @kindex S O p (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
6490 @cindex making digests
6491 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
6492 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
6493 process/prefix convention.
6496 @kindex S u (Summary)
6497 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
6498 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
6499 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
6500 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
6503 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
6504 Manual}, for more information.
6507 @node Summary Message Commands
6508 @subsection Summary Message Commands
6512 @kindex S y (Summary)
6513 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
6514 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
6515 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
6516 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
6517 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6522 @node Canceling and Superseding
6523 @subsection Canceling Articles
6524 @cindex canceling articles
6525 @cindex superseding articles
6527 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
6528 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
6530 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
6532 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
6534 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
6535 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
6536 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
6537 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
6538 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
6539 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6541 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
6542 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
6545 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
6546 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
6547 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
6549 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
6550 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
6551 message, Message Manual}).
6553 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
6554 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
6555 your original article.
6557 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
6559 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
6560 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
6561 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
6564 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
6565 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
6566 have posted almost the same article twice.
6568 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
6569 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
6570 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
6571 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
6572 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
6573 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
6574 header by substituting one of those words for the word
6575 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
6576 you would do normally. The previous article will be
6577 canceled/superseded.
6579 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
6581 @node Delayed Articles
6582 @section Delayed Articles
6583 @cindex delayed sending
6584 @cindex send delayed
6586 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
6587 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
6588 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
6589 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
6592 (gnus-delay-initialize)
6595 @findex gnus-delay-article
6596 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
6597 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
6598 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
6599 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
6603 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
6604 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
6605 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
6606 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
6609 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
6610 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
6611 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
6614 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
6615 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
6616 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
6617 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
6618 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
6619 that means a time tomorrow.
6622 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
6623 couple of variables:
6626 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
6627 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
6628 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
6629 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
6631 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
6632 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
6633 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
6634 formats described above.
6636 @item gnus-delay-group
6637 @vindex gnus-delay-group
6638 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
6639 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
6640 value is @code{"delayed"}.
6642 @item gnus-delay-header
6643 @vindex gnus-delay-header
6644 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
6645 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
6646 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
6649 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
6650 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
6651 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
6652 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
6653 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
6655 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
6656 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
6657 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
6658 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
6659 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
6660 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
6661 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
6664 @item gnus-delay-initialize
6665 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
6666 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
6667 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
6668 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
6669 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
6670 argument is ignored.
6672 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
6673 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
6674 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
6677 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
6678 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
6679 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
6680 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
6681 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
6684 @node Marking Articles
6685 @section Marking Articles
6686 @cindex article marking
6687 @cindex article ticking
6690 There are several marks you can set on an article.
6692 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
6693 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
6694 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
6696 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
6699 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6703 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6704 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6705 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6706 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6707 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6708 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6712 @node Unread Articles
6713 @subsection Unread Articles
6715 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6720 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6721 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6723 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6724 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6725 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6726 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6727 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6728 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6729 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6732 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6733 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6735 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6736 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6737 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6738 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6742 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6743 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6745 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6750 @subsection Read Articles
6751 @cindex expirable mark
6753 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6758 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6759 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6760 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6763 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6764 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6767 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6768 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6769 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6772 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6773 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6776 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6777 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6780 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6781 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6784 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6785 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6788 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6789 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6792 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6793 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6797 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6798 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6799 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6803 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6804 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6806 One more special mark, though:
6810 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6811 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6813 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6814 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6815 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6816 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6822 @subsection Other Marks
6823 @cindex process mark
6826 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6832 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6833 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6834 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6835 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6836 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6839 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6840 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6841 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6842 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6845 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6846 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6847 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6850 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6851 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6852 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6855 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6856 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6857 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6858 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6861 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
6862 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
6863 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
6864 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
6865 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
6866 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
6869 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6870 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6871 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6872 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6875 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6876 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6877 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6878 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6879 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6883 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6884 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6885 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6886 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6887 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6888 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6891 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6892 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6893 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6894 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6895 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6896 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6900 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6901 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6902 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6903 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6904 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6907 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6908 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6909 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6910 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6911 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6912 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6916 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6917 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6918 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6920 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6921 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6922 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6926 @subsection Setting Marks
6927 @cindex setting marks
6929 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6934 @kindex M c (Summary)
6935 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6936 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6937 @cindex mark as unread
6938 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6939 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6945 @kindex M t (Summary)
6946 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6947 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6948 @xref{Article Caching}.
6953 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6954 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6955 Mark the current article as dormant
6956 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6960 @kindex M d (Summary)
6962 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6963 Mark the current article as read
6964 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6968 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6969 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6970 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6975 @kindex M k (Summary)
6976 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6977 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6978 and then select the next unread article
6979 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6983 @kindex M K (Summary)
6984 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6985 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6986 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6987 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6990 @kindex M C (Summary)
6991 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6992 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6993 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6996 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6998 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6999 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
7002 @kindex M H (Summary)
7003 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
7004 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
7005 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
7008 @kindex M h (Summary)
7009 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
7010 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
7011 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
7014 @kindex C-w (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
7016 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
7017 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
7020 @kindex M V k (Summary)
7021 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
7022 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
7023 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
7027 @kindex M e (Summary)
7029 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
7030 Mark the current article as expirable
7031 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
7034 @kindex M b (Summary)
7035 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
7036 Set a bookmark in the current article
7037 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
7040 @kindex M B (Summary)
7041 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
7042 Remove the bookmark from the current article
7043 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
7046 @kindex M V c (Summary)
7047 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
7048 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
7049 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7052 @kindex M V u (Summary)
7053 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
7054 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
7055 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
7058 @kindex M V m (Summary)
7059 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
7060 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
7061 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
7062 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
7065 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
7066 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
7067 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
7068 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
7069 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
7070 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
7071 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
7072 The default is @code{t}.
7075 @node Generic Marking Commands
7076 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
7078 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
7079 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
7080 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
7081 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
7082 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
7085 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
7086 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
7089 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
7090 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
7091 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
7092 to list in this manual.
7094 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
7095 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
7096 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
7097 article, you could say something like:
7101 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
7102 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7103 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
7111 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
7112 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
7116 @node Setting Process Marks
7117 @subsection Setting Process Marks
7118 @cindex setting process marks
7120 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
7121 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
7122 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
7123 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
7124 articles into the cache. For more information,
7125 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
7132 @kindex M P p (Summary)
7133 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
7134 Mark the current article with the process mark
7135 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
7136 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
7140 @kindex M P u (Summary)
7141 @kindex M-# (Summary)
7142 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
7143 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
7146 @kindex M P U (Summary)
7147 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
7148 Remove the process mark from all articles
7149 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
7152 @kindex M P i (Summary)
7153 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
7154 Invert the list of process marked articles
7155 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
7158 @kindex M P R (Summary)
7159 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
7160 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7161 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
7164 @kindex M P G (Summary)
7165 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
7166 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
7167 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
7170 @kindex M P r (Summary)
7171 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
7172 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
7175 @kindex M P g (Summary)
7176 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
7177 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
7180 @kindex M P t (Summary)
7181 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7182 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7183 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7186 @kindex M P T (Summary)
7187 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7188 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
7189 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7192 @kindex M P v (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
7194 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
7195 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
7198 @kindex M P s (Summary)
7199 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
7200 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
7203 @kindex M P S (Summary)
7204 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
7205 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
7206 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
7209 @kindex M P a (Summary)
7210 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
7211 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
7214 @kindex M P b (Summary)
7215 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
7216 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
7217 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
7220 @kindex M P k (Summary)
7221 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
7222 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
7223 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
7226 @kindex M P y (Summary)
7227 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
7228 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
7229 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
7232 @kindex M P w (Summary)
7233 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
7234 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
7235 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
7239 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
7240 set process marks based on article body contents.
7247 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
7248 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
7249 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
7252 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
7253 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
7260 @kindex / / (Summary)
7261 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
7262 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
7263 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
7267 @kindex / a (Summary)
7268 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
7269 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
7270 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
7274 @kindex / R (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
7276 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
7277 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
7281 @kindex / A (Summary)
7282 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
7283 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
7284 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
7285 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
7288 @kindex / S (Summary)
7289 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
7290 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
7291 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
7292 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
7295 @kindex / x (Summary)
7296 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
7297 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
7298 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
7299 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
7304 @kindex / u (Summary)
7306 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
7307 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
7308 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
7309 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
7310 dormant articles will also be excluded.
7313 @kindex / m (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
7315 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
7316 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
7319 @kindex / t (Summary)
7320 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
7321 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
7322 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
7323 articles younger than that number of days.
7326 @kindex / n (Summary)
7327 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
7328 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
7329 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
7330 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
7333 @kindex / w (Summary)
7334 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
7335 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
7336 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
7340 @kindex / . (Summary)
7341 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
7342 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
7343 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
7346 @kindex / v (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
7348 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
7349 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
7352 @kindex / p (Summary)
7353 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
7354 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
7355 group parameter predicate
7356 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
7357 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
7360 @kindex / r (Summary)
7361 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
7362 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
7363 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
7368 @kindex M S (Summary)
7369 @kindex / E (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
7371 Include all expunged articles in the limit
7372 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
7375 @kindex / D (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
7377 Include all dormant articles in the limit
7378 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
7381 @kindex / * (Summary)
7382 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
7383 Include all cached articles in the limit
7384 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
7387 @kindex / d (Summary)
7388 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
7389 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
7390 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
7393 @kindex / M (Summary)
7394 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
7395 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
7398 @kindex / T (Summary)
7399 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
7400 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
7403 @kindex / c (Summary)
7404 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
7405 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
7406 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
7409 @kindex / C (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
7411 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
7412 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
7413 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
7416 @kindex / b (Summary)
7417 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
7418 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
7419 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
7420 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
7421 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
7424 @kindex / h (Summary)
7425 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
7426 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
7427 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
7432 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
7437 @kindex / N (Summary)
7438 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
7439 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
7440 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
7443 @kindex / o (Summary)
7444 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
7445 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
7446 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
7454 @cindex article threading
7456 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
7457 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
7458 hierarchical fashion.
7460 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
7461 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
7462 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
7463 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
7464 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
7465 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
7466 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
7468 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
7472 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
7475 A tree-like article structure.
7478 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
7481 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
7482 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
7483 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
7484 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
7485 called loose threads.
7487 @item thread gathering
7488 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
7490 @item sparse threads
7491 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
7492 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
7498 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
7499 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
7503 @node Customizing Threading
7504 @subsection Customizing Threading
7505 @cindex customizing threading
7508 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
7509 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
7510 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
7511 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
7516 @subsubsection Loose Threads
7519 @cindex loose threads
7522 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
7523 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
7524 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
7525 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
7526 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
7527 read or killed the root in a previous session.
7529 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
7530 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
7531 There are four possible values:
7535 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
7536 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
7537 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
7538 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
7539 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
7544 @cindex adopting articles
7549 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
7550 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
7551 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
7552 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
7555 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
7556 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
7557 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
7558 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
7559 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
7560 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
7561 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
7562 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7563 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
7564 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
7567 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
7568 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
7569 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
7573 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
7574 display them after one another.
7577 Don't gather loose threads.
7580 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7581 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
7582 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
7583 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
7584 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
7585 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
7586 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
7587 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
7588 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
7589 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
7590 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
7592 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
7593 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
7594 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
7597 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7598 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
7599 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
7600 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
7601 simplification is used.
7603 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7604 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7605 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
7606 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
7608 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
7610 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
7616 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
7617 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
7618 "answer" "reference" "announce"
7619 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
7624 (mapconcat 'identity
7625 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
7627 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
7630 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
7633 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7634 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
7635 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
7636 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
7637 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
7638 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
7640 Useful functions to put in this list include:
7643 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
7644 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
7645 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
7647 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7648 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
7651 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
7652 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
7653 Remove excessive whitespace.
7655 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7656 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
7657 Remove all whitespace.
7660 You may also write your own functions, of course.
7663 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7664 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
7665 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
7666 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
7667 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
7668 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
7669 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
7670 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
7672 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7673 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7674 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
7675 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
7676 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
7677 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
7678 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
7679 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
7680 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
7684 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7685 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
7686 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
7687 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
7689 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7690 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
7691 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
7694 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
7698 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7699 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
7705 @node Filling In Threads
7706 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7709 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7710 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7711 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7712 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7713 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7714 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7715 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7716 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7717 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7718 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7719 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7720 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7723 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7724 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7725 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7727 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7729 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7730 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7731 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7732 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7733 slow summary generation.
7735 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7736 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7737 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7740 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7741 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7742 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7743 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7744 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7745 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7746 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7747 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7748 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7749 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7750 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7751 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7752 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7753 @code{nil} by default.
7755 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7756 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7757 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7758 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7759 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7760 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7763 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7764 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7765 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7770 @node More Threading
7771 @subsubsection More Threading
7774 @item gnus-show-threads
7775 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7776 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7777 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7778 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7779 slower and more awkward.
7781 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7782 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7783 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7786 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7787 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7788 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7793 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7794 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7795 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7798 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7799 unread, but you get my drift.)
7802 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7803 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7804 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7805 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7806 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7807 threads are expunged.
7809 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7810 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7811 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7814 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7815 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7816 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7817 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7818 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7819 result in a new thread.
7821 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7822 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7823 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7826 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7827 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7828 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7829 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7830 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7831 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7832 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7833 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7834 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7835 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7836 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7841 @node Low-Level Threading
7842 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7846 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7847 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7848 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7850 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7851 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7852 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7853 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7854 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7855 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7856 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7857 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7858 meaningful. Here's one example:
7861 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7863 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7864 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7866 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7868 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7875 @node Thread Commands
7876 @subsection Thread Commands
7877 @cindex thread commands
7883 @kindex T k (Summary)
7884 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7885 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7886 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7887 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7888 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7893 @kindex T l (Summary)
7894 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7895 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7896 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7897 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7900 @kindex T i (Summary)
7901 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7902 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7903 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7906 @kindex T # (Summary)
7907 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7908 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7909 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7912 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7913 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7914 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7915 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7918 @kindex T T (Summary)
7919 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7920 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7923 @kindex T s (Summary)
7924 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7925 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7926 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7929 @kindex T h (Summary)
7930 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7931 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7934 @kindex T S (Summary)
7935 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7936 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7939 @kindex T H (Summary)
7940 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7941 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7944 @kindex T t (Summary)
7945 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7946 Re-thread the current article's thread
7947 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7948 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7951 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7953 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7954 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7957 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7958 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7959 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7960 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7964 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7965 understand the numeric prefix.
7970 @kindex T n (Summary)
7972 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7974 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7975 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7976 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7979 @kindex T p (Summary)
7981 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7983 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7984 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7985 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7988 @kindex T d (Summary)
7989 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7990 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7993 @kindex T u (Summary)
7994 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7995 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7998 @kindex T o (Summary)
7999 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
8000 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
8003 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
8004 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
8005 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
8006 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
8007 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
8008 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
8009 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
8010 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
8011 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
8012 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
8013 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
8014 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
8018 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
8019 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
8021 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
8022 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
8023 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
8024 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8025 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
8026 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
8027 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8028 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
8029 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
8030 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
8031 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
8032 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
8033 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
8034 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
8035 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
8037 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
8038 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
8039 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
8040 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
8041 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
8042 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
8043 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
8044 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
8045 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
8046 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
8048 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
8049 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
8050 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
8052 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
8053 last function in the list. You should probably always include
8054 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
8055 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
8056 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
8057 ascending article order.
8059 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
8060 by number, you could do something like:
8063 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8064 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
8065 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
8066 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
8069 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
8070 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
8071 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
8072 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
8073 which the articles arrived.
8075 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
8079 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
8080 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
8081 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
8084 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
8085 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
8086 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
8087 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
8090 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
8091 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
8092 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
8093 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
8094 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
8095 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
8096 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
8097 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
8098 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
8099 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
8100 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
8101 variable. It is very similar to the
8102 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
8103 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
8104 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
8105 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
8106 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
8107 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
8108 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
8110 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
8114 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
8115 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
8116 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
8119 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
8120 @xref{Group Parameters}.
8123 @node Asynchronous Fetching
8124 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
8125 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
8126 @cindex article pre-fetch
8129 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
8130 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
8131 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
8132 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
8133 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
8135 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
8136 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
8138 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
8139 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
8140 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
8141 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
8142 connection is blocked.
8144 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
8145 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
8146 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
8147 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
8149 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
8150 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
8151 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
8152 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
8155 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
8158 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
8159 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
8160 happen automatically.
8162 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
8163 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
8164 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
8165 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
8166 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
8167 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
8168 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
8170 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
8171 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
8172 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
8173 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
8174 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
8175 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
8176 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
8177 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
8178 article data structure as the only parameter.
8180 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
8181 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
8184 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
8185 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
8186 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
8187 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
8190 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
8193 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
8194 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
8195 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
8197 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
8198 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
8199 After an article has been prefetched, this
8200 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
8201 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
8202 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
8203 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
8204 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
8205 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
8207 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
8208 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
8209 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
8210 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
8214 Remove articles when they are read.
8217 Remove articles when exiting the group.
8220 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
8222 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
8223 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
8224 @c from the next group.
8227 @node Article Caching
8228 @section Article Caching
8229 @cindex article caching
8232 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
8233 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
8234 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
8235 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
8236 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
8238 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
8240 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8241 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
8242 @vindex gnus-use-cache
8243 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
8244 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
8245 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
8246 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
8247 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
8249 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
8250 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
8251 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
8252 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
8253 as dormant, and don't worry.
8255 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
8257 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
8258 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
8259 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
8260 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
8261 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
8262 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
8263 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
8264 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
8265 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
8266 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
8268 @findex gnus-jog-cache
8269 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
8270 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
8271 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
8272 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
8273 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
8274 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
8275 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
8276 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
8277 not then be downloaded by this command.
8279 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
8280 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
8281 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
8282 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
8283 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
8284 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
8286 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
8287 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
8288 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
8289 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
8290 variables, the group is not cached.
8292 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
8293 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
8294 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
8295 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
8296 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
8297 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
8298 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
8299 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
8300 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
8303 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
8304 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
8305 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
8306 where, isn't that cool?
8308 @node Persistent Articles
8309 @section Persistent Articles
8310 @cindex persistent articles
8312 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
8313 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
8314 useful in my opinion.
8316 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
8317 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
8318 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
8319 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
8320 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
8321 the expiry going on at the news server.
8323 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
8324 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
8325 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
8331 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
8332 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
8335 @kindex M-* (Summary)
8336 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
8337 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
8338 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
8342 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
8344 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
8345 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
8346 interested in persistent articles:
8349 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
8352 @node Sticky Articles
8353 @section Sticky Articles
8354 @cindex sticky articles
8356 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
8357 according to the value of the variable
8358 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
8359 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
8360 has its own article buffer.
8362 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
8363 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
8364 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
8365 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next christmas party.
8367 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
8368 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
8369 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
8373 @kindex A S (Summary)
8374 @findex gnus-sticky-article
8375 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
8376 name for this sticky article buffer.
8379 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
8385 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
8389 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
8390 Kills this sticky article buffer.
8393 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
8395 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
8396 Kill all sticky article buffers.
8397 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
8400 @node Article Backlog
8401 @section Article Backlog
8403 @cindex article backlog
8405 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
8406 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
8407 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
8408 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
8409 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
8410 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
8411 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
8412 increase memory usage some.
8414 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
8415 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
8416 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
8417 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
8418 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
8419 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
8420 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
8422 The default value is 20.
8425 @node Saving Articles
8426 @section Saving Articles
8427 @cindex saving articles
8429 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
8430 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
8431 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
8432 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
8433 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
8435 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
8436 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
8437 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8439 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
8440 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
8441 unwanted headers before saving the article.
8443 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
8444 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
8445 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
8446 deleted before saving.
8452 @kindex O o (Summary)
8454 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
8455 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
8456 Save the current article using the default article saver
8457 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
8460 @kindex O m (Summary)
8461 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
8462 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
8463 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
8466 @kindex O r (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
8468 Save the current article in Rmail format
8469 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
8470 Babyl in older versions.
8473 @kindex O f (Summary)
8474 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
8475 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
8476 Save the current article in plain file format
8477 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
8480 @kindex O F (Summary)
8481 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
8482 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
8483 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
8486 @kindex O b (Summary)
8487 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
8488 Save the current article body in plain file format
8489 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
8492 @kindex O h (Summary)
8493 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
8494 Save the current article in mh folder format
8495 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
8498 @kindex O v (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
8500 Save the current article in a VM folder
8501 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
8505 @kindex O p (Summary)
8507 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
8508 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
8509 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
8510 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
8511 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
8512 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
8513 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
8514 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
8515 to a string containing the default command and options (default
8519 @kindex O P (Summary)
8520 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
8521 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
8522 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
8523 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
8524 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
8525 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
8526 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
8530 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
8531 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
8532 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
8533 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
8534 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
8535 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
8536 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
8537 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
8538 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
8539 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
8540 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
8541 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
8545 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
8546 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
8547 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
8548 functions below, or you can create your own.
8552 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8553 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
8554 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
8555 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8556 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
8557 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
8558 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
8559 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
8560 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
8561 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8562 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8564 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8565 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
8566 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
8567 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
8568 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8569 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
8571 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
8572 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
8573 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
8574 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8575 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
8576 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8577 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8579 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
8580 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
8581 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8582 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8583 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8584 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8586 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8587 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
8588 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
8589 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8590 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8592 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8593 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
8594 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
8595 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
8596 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
8597 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
8599 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8600 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
8601 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
8602 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
8603 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
8606 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
8607 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
8608 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
8609 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
8610 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
8612 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8613 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
8614 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
8615 reader to use this setting.
8617 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8618 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
8619 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
8620 arguments COMMAND and RAW. Valid values for COMMAND include:
8624 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
8626 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
8627 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
8628 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
8629 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
8630 last used for saving.
8633 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
8634 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
8635 headers will be piped.
8638 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
8642 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
8643 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
8644 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
8645 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
8646 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
8647 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
8650 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
8651 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
8652 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
8653 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
8654 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
8655 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
8658 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
8659 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
8660 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
8661 headers should be saved.
8664 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
8665 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
8666 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
8667 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
8670 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
8671 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
8672 available functions that generate names:
8676 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
8677 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
8678 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8680 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
8681 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
8682 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
8684 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
8685 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
8686 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8688 @item gnus-plain-save-name
8689 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
8690 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8692 @item gnus-sender-save-name
8693 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
8694 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
8697 @vindex gnus-split-methods
8698 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
8699 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
8700 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
8701 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
8705 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
8706 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8707 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8708 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8711 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8712 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8713 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8714 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8715 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8716 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8717 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8718 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8719 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8721 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8722 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8723 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8724 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8726 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8727 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8728 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8731 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8732 lots of mail groups called things like
8733 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8734 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8735 following will do just that:
8738 (defun my-save-name (group)
8739 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8740 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8742 (setq gnus-split-methods
8743 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8748 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8749 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8750 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8751 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8752 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8753 all the files in the top level directory
8754 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8755 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8756 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8757 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8759 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8760 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8761 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8762 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8763 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8766 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8770 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8771 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8772 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8775 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8776 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8777 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8778 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8781 @node Decoding Articles
8782 @section Decoding Articles
8783 @cindex decoding articles
8785 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8786 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8789 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8790 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8791 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8792 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8793 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8794 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8798 @cindex article series
8799 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8800 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8801 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8802 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8803 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8805 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8806 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8807 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8809 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8810 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8811 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8813 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8814 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8815 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8818 @node Uuencoded Articles
8819 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8821 @cindex uuencoded articles
8826 @kindex X u (Summary)
8827 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8828 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8829 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8832 @kindex X U (Summary)
8833 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8834 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8835 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8838 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8839 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8840 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8843 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8844 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8845 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8846 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8850 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8851 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8852 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8853 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8854 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8856 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8857 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8858 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8859 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8862 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8863 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8864 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8865 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8866 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8867 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8871 @node Shell Archives
8872 @subsection Shell Archives
8874 @cindex shell archives
8875 @cindex shared articles
8877 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8878 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8879 some commands to deal with these:
8884 @kindex X s (Summary)
8885 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8886 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8889 @kindex X S (Summary)
8890 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8891 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8894 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8895 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8896 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8899 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8900 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8901 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8902 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8906 @node PostScript Files
8907 @subsection PostScript Files
8913 @kindex X p (Summary)
8914 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8915 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8918 @kindex X P (Summary)
8919 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8920 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8921 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8924 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8925 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8926 View the current PostScript series
8927 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8930 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8931 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8932 View and save the current PostScript series
8933 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8938 @subsection Other Files
8942 @kindex X o (Summary)
8943 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8944 Save the current series
8945 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8948 @kindex X b (Summary)
8949 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8950 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8951 doesn't really work yet.
8954 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8955 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8956 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
8960 @node Decoding Variables
8961 @subsection Decoding Variables
8963 Adjective, not verb.
8966 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
8967 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
8968 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
8972 @node Rule Variables
8973 @subsubsection Rule Variables
8974 @cindex rule variables
8976 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
8977 variables are of the form
8980 (list '(regexp1 command2)
8987 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8988 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8990 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
8991 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
8994 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8995 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
8998 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8999 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
9000 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
9001 user and default view rules.
9003 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9004 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
9005 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
9010 @node Other Decode Variables
9011 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
9014 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9016 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
9017 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
9018 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
9019 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
9020 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
9024 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
9025 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
9028 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
9029 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
9030 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
9033 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9034 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
9035 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
9036 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
9037 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
9040 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9041 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
9042 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
9044 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9045 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
9046 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
9047 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
9048 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
9051 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9052 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
9053 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
9055 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9056 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
9057 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
9058 looking for files to display.
9060 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
9061 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
9062 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
9065 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9066 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
9067 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
9070 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9071 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
9072 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
9075 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9076 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
9077 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
9080 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9081 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
9082 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
9083 decoded articles as unread.
9085 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9086 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
9087 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
9088 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
9090 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9091 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
9092 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
9094 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9095 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
9097 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
9098 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
9099 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
9100 @code{metamail} for viewing.
9102 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9103 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
9104 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
9105 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
9106 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
9107 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
9108 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
9109 simply dropped them.
9114 @node Uuencoding and Posting
9115 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
9119 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9120 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
9121 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
9122 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
9123 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
9124 for you when you post the article.
9126 @item gnus-uu-post-length
9127 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
9128 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
9129 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
9131 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
9132 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
9133 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
9134 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
9135 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
9136 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
9137 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
9139 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9140 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
9141 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
9142 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
9143 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
9144 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
9145 Default is @code{t}.
9151 @subsection Viewing Files
9152 @cindex viewing files
9153 @cindex pseudo-articles
9155 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
9156 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
9157 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
9158 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
9159 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
9160 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
9161 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
9163 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
9164 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
9165 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
9166 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
9168 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
9169 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
9170 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
9172 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
9173 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
9174 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
9175 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
9176 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
9178 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
9179 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
9180 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
9181 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
9182 a list of parameters to that command.
9184 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
9185 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
9186 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
9188 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
9189 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
9190 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
9193 @node Article Treatment
9194 @section Article Treatment
9196 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
9197 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
9198 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
9199 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
9200 these articles easier.
9203 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
9204 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
9205 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
9206 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
9207 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
9208 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
9209 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
9210 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
9211 * Article Display:: Display various stuff:
9212 X-Face, Picons, Gravatars, Smileys.
9213 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
9214 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
9218 @node Article Highlighting
9219 @subsection Article Highlighting
9220 @cindex highlighting
9222 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
9223 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
9228 @kindex W H a (Summary)
9229 @findex gnus-article-highlight
9230 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
9231 Do much highlighting of the current article
9232 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
9233 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
9236 @kindex W H h (Summary)
9237 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
9238 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
9239 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
9240 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
9241 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
9242 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
9243 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
9244 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
9245 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
9246 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
9247 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
9250 @kindex W H c (Summary)
9251 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
9252 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
9254 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
9257 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9259 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
9260 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
9261 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
9263 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
9264 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
9265 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
9267 @item gnus-cite-face-list
9268 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
9269 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
9270 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
9271 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
9272 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
9274 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
9275 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
9276 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
9278 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9279 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
9280 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
9282 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9283 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
9284 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
9285 that it's a citation.
9287 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9288 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
9289 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
9291 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9292 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
9293 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
9295 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
9296 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
9297 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
9298 cited text belonging to the attribution.
9300 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9301 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
9302 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
9303 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
9304 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
9311 @kindex W H s (Summary)
9312 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9313 @vindex gnus-signature-face
9314 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
9315 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
9316 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
9317 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
9318 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
9323 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
9326 @node Article Fontisizing
9327 @subsection Article Fontisizing
9329 @cindex article emphasis
9331 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
9332 @kindex W e (Summary)
9333 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
9334 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
9335 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
9336 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
9338 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
9339 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
9340 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
9341 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
9342 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
9343 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
9344 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
9345 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
9349 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
9350 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
9351 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
9360 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
9361 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
9362 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
9363 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
9364 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
9365 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
9366 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
9367 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
9368 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
9369 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
9370 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
9371 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
9372 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
9374 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
9375 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
9376 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
9380 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
9383 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
9385 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
9386 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
9387 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
9388 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
9390 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
9393 @node Article Hiding
9394 @subsection Article Hiding
9395 @cindex article hiding
9397 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
9398 too much cruft in most articles.
9403 @kindex W W a (Summary)
9404 @findex gnus-article-hide
9405 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
9406 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
9407 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
9410 @kindex W W h (Summary)
9411 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
9412 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
9416 @kindex W W b (Summary)
9417 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9418 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
9419 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
9422 @kindex W W s (Summary)
9423 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
9424 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
9428 @kindex W W l (Summary)
9429 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
9430 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9431 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
9432 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
9433 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
9434 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
9435 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
9439 @item gnus-list-identifiers
9440 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
9441 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
9442 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
9447 @kindex W W P (Summary)
9448 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
9449 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
9450 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
9453 @kindex W W B (Summary)
9454 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
9455 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
9456 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9459 @cindex stripping advertisements
9460 @cindex advertisements
9461 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
9462 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
9463 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
9464 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
9465 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
9466 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
9467 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
9468 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
9469 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
9470 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
9476 (setq gnus-article-banner-alist
9478 "^\n*--~--~---------\\(.+\n\\)+")))
9481 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
9482 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
9483 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
9487 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9488 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
9489 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
9490 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
9491 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
9492 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
9493 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
9494 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
9495 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
9496 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
9497 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
9500 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
9501 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
9507 @kindex W W c (Summary)
9508 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
9509 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
9510 customizing the hiding:
9514 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9515 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9516 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
9517 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
9518 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
9519 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
9520 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
9525 Starting point of the hidden text.
9527 Ending point of the hidden text.
9529 Number of characters in the hidden region.
9531 Number of lines of hidden text.
9534 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
9535 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
9536 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
9537 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
9538 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
9543 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
9544 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
9546 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
9547 following two variables:
9550 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9551 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
9552 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
9553 50), hide the cited text.
9555 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9556 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
9557 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
9562 @kindex W W C (Summary)
9563 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
9564 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
9565 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
9566 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
9567 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9571 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
9572 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
9573 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
9575 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
9576 citation customization.
9578 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
9582 @node Article Washing
9583 @subsection Article Washing
9585 @cindex article washing
9587 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
9588 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
9590 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
9591 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
9594 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
9595 articles by default.
9600 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
9601 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
9605 Force redisplaying of the current article
9606 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
9607 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
9608 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
9609 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
9612 @kindex W l (Summary)
9613 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
9614 Remove page breaks from the current article
9615 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
9619 @kindex W r (Summary)
9620 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
9621 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
9622 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
9623 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
9624 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
9625 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
9627 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
9628 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
9629 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
9630 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
9633 @kindex W m (Summary)
9634 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
9635 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
9638 @kindex W i (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
9640 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
9641 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
9642 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
9643 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
9644 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
9649 @kindex W t (Summary)
9651 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
9652 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
9653 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
9656 @kindex W v (Summary)
9657 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
9658 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
9659 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
9662 @kindex W o (Summary)
9663 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
9664 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
9667 @kindex W d (Summary)
9668 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
9669 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
9671 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
9673 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
9674 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
9675 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
9676 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
9679 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
9680 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
9681 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
9682 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
9685 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
9686 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
9687 @cindex Outlook Express
9688 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
9689 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
9690 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
9693 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
9694 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
9695 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9696 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9697 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9698 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9699 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9700 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9701 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9702 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9705 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9706 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9707 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9708 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9711 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9712 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9713 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9714 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9717 @kindex W w (Summary)
9718 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9719 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9721 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9725 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9726 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9727 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9730 @kindex W C (Summary)
9731 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9732 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9733 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9736 @kindex W c (Summary)
9737 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9738 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9739 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9740 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9741 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9744 @kindex W q (Summary)
9745 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9746 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9747 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9748 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9749 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9750 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9751 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9752 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9753 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9756 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9757 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9758 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9759 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9760 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9761 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9762 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9763 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9766 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9767 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9768 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9769 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9770 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9773 @kindex W A (Summary)
9774 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9775 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9776 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9777 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9778 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9781 @kindex W u (Summary)
9782 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9783 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9784 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9785 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9786 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9789 @kindex W h (Summary)
9790 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9791 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9792 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9793 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9795 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9796 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9797 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9799 The default is to use the function specified by
9800 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9801 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9802 @acronym{HTML}. Pre-defined functions you can use include:
9806 Use Gnus simple html renderer.
9809 Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
9815 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9817 @item w3m-standalone
9818 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9821 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9824 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9827 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9832 @kindex W b (Summary)
9833 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9834 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9835 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9838 @kindex W B (Summary)
9839 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9840 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9841 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9844 @kindex W p (Summary)
9845 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9846 Verify a signed control message
9847 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9848 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9849 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9850 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9851 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9852 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9855 @kindex W s (Summary)
9856 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9857 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9858 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9859 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9862 @kindex W a (Summary)
9863 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9864 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9865 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9868 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9869 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9870 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9871 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9874 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9875 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9876 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9877 lines with a single empty line.
9878 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9881 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9882 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9883 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9884 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9887 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9888 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9889 Do all the three commands above
9890 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9893 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9894 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9895 Remove all blank lines
9896 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9899 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9900 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9901 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9902 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9905 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9906 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9907 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9908 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9912 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9915 @node Article Header
9916 @subsection Article Header
9918 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9923 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9924 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9925 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9928 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9929 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9930 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9931 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9934 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9935 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9936 Fold all the message headers
9937 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9940 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9941 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9942 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9943 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9948 @node Article Buttons
9949 @subsection Article Buttons
9952 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9953 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9954 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9955 button on these references.
9957 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9958 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9959 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9960 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9961 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9965 @item gnus-button-alist
9966 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9967 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
9970 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9976 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
9977 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
9978 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
9979 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
9980 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
9983 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
9984 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
9985 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
9988 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
9989 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
9990 avoid false matches. Often variables named
9991 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
9992 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
9994 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
9997 This function will be called when you click on this button.
10000 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
10001 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
10005 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
10008 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
10011 @item gnus-header-button-alist
10012 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
10013 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
10014 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
10015 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
10018 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
10021 @var{header} is a regular expression.
10024 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
10027 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
10028 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
10030 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
10032 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
10033 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
10034 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
10035 default values of the variables above.
10037 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
10039 @item gnus-button-man-handler
10040 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
10041 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
10042 argument with a string naming the man page.
10044 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
10046 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10047 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
10048 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
10050 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10051 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
10052 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
10053 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
10054 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
10055 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
10056 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
10057 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
10058 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
10059 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
10060 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
10061 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10063 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10064 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
10065 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
10066 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
10067 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
10070 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10071 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
10072 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
10073 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
10077 @item gnus-article-button-face
10078 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
10079 Face used on buttons.
10081 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
10082 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
10083 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
10087 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
10090 @node Article Button Levels
10091 @subsection Article button levels
10092 @cindex button levels
10093 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
10094 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
10095 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
10096 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
10097 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
10098 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
10099 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
10100 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
10103 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
10104 (setq gnus-parameters
10105 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
10106 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
10107 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
10112 @item gnus-button-browse-level
10113 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
10114 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
10115 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
10116 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
10117 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
10119 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
10120 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
10121 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
10122 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
10123 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
10124 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
10125 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
10126 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
10127 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
10128 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
10129 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
10130 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
10131 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
10133 @item gnus-button-man-level
10134 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
10135 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
10136 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
10138 @item gnus-button-message-level
10139 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
10140 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
10141 Related variables and functions include
10142 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
10143 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
10144 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
10145 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
10151 @subsection Article Date
10153 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
10154 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
10155 when the article was sent.
10160 @kindex W T u (Summary)
10161 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
10162 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
10163 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
10166 @kindex W T i (Summary)
10167 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
10169 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
10170 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
10173 @kindex W T l (Summary)
10174 @findex gnus-article-date-local
10175 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
10178 @kindex W T p (Summary)
10179 @findex gnus-article-date-english
10180 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
10181 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
10184 @kindex W T s (Summary)
10185 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
10186 @findex gnus-article-date-user
10187 @findex format-time-string
10188 Display the date using a user-defined format
10189 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
10190 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
10191 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
10192 for a list of possible format specs.
10195 @kindex W T e (Summary)
10196 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
10197 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
10198 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
10199 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
10200 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
10203 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
10206 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
10207 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
10208 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
10211 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
10212 into wonderful absurdities.
10214 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
10217 (gnus-start-date-timer)
10220 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
10221 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
10225 @kindex W T o (Summary)
10226 @findex gnus-article-date-original
10227 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
10228 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
10229 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
10230 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
10231 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
10235 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
10236 preferred format automatically.
10239 @node Article Display
10240 @subsection Article Display
10246 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
10247 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
10249 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
10250 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
10252 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
10253 headers (@pxref{Face}).
10255 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
10256 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
10258 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
10259 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
10261 Gravatars reside on-line and are fetched from
10262 @uref{http://www.gravatar.com/} (@pxref{Gravatars}).
10264 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
10265 they'll be removed.
10269 @kindex W D x (Summary)
10270 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
10271 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
10272 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
10275 @kindex W D d (Summary)
10276 @findex gnus-article-display-face
10277 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
10278 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
10281 @kindex W D s (Summary)
10282 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
10283 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
10286 @kindex W D f (Summary)
10287 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
10288 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
10291 @kindex W D m (Summary)
10292 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
10293 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10294 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
10297 @kindex W D n (Summary)
10298 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
10299 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
10300 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
10303 @kindex W D g (Summary)
10304 @findex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
10305 Gravatarify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
10308 @kindex W D h (Summary)
10309 @findex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
10310 Gravatarify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
10311 (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
10314 @kindex W D D (Summary)
10315 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
10316 Remove all images from the article buffer
10317 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
10320 @kindex W D W (Summary)
10321 @findex gnus-html-show-images
10322 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
10323 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
10324 the buffer with this command.
10325 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
10331 @node Article Signature
10332 @subsection Article Signature
10334 @cindex article signature
10336 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
10337 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
10338 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
10339 that says what is to be considered a signature is
10340 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
10341 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
10342 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
10343 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
10344 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
10347 (setq gnus-signature-separator
10348 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
10349 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
10350 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
10351 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
10352 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
10353 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
10354 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
10357 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
10360 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
10361 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
10362 signature when displaying articles.
10366 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
10369 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
10372 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
10373 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
10375 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
10376 in question is not a signature.
10379 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
10380 listed above. Here's an example:
10383 (setq gnus-signature-limit
10384 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
10387 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
10388 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
10389 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
10390 signature after all.
10393 @node Article Miscellanea
10394 @subsection Article Miscellanea
10398 @kindex A t (Summary)
10399 @findex gnus-article-babel
10400 Translate the article from one language to another
10401 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
10406 @node MIME Commands
10407 @section MIME Commands
10408 @cindex MIME decoding
10409 @cindex attachments
10410 @cindex viewing attachments
10412 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
10413 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
10418 @kindex b (Summary)
10419 @kindex K v (Summary)
10420 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
10423 @kindex K o (Summary)
10424 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
10427 @kindex K O (Summary)
10428 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
10429 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
10430 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10433 @kindex K r (Summary)
10434 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
10437 @kindex K d (Summary)
10438 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
10442 @kindex K c (Summary)
10443 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
10446 @kindex K e (Summary)
10447 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
10450 @kindex K i (Summary)
10451 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
10454 @kindex K | (Summary)
10455 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
10458 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
10463 @kindex K H (Summary)
10464 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
10465 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
10466 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
10467 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
10468 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
10469 unless the prefix argument is given.
10471 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
10472 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
10473 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
10474 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
10477 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
10478 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
10480 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
10481 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
10482 the group (if you want).
10485 @kindex K b (Summary)
10486 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
10487 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
10491 @kindex K m (Summary)
10492 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
10493 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
10494 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
10495 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
10496 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
10499 @kindex X m (Summary)
10500 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
10501 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
10502 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
10503 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10506 @kindex M-t (Summary)
10507 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
10508 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
10509 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
10512 @kindex W M w (Summary)
10513 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
10514 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
10515 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
10518 @kindex W M c (Summary)
10519 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
10520 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
10521 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
10523 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
10524 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
10525 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
10526 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
10527 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
10528 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10531 @kindex W M v (Summary)
10532 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
10533 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
10534 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
10538 Relevant variables:
10541 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
10542 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
10543 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10544 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
10547 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
10550 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
10554 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
10555 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
10556 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
10557 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
10558 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
10559 default is @code{t}.
10561 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
10562 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
10565 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
10566 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
10567 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
10568 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
10569 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
10570 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
10571 for encoding in Gnus.
10573 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10574 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
10575 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10576 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10577 displayed or this variable is overridden by
10578 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
10579 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
10580 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
10582 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10583 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
10584 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
10585 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
10586 displayed. This variable overrides
10587 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
10588 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
10591 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
10592 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
10593 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
10595 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
10596 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
10597 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
10598 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
10599 Emacs MIME Manual}).
10601 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10602 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
10603 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
10604 default value is @code{nil}.
10606 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
10607 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
10608 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
10609 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
10610 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
10611 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
10612 save all jpegs into some directory).
10614 Here's an example function the does the latter:
10617 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
10618 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
10620 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
10621 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
10622 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
10623 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
10624 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
10627 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10628 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
10629 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
10631 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10632 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
10633 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10635 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10636 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
10637 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
10639 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
10640 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
10641 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
10642 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
10643 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
10645 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10646 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
10647 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
10648 overrides @code{nil} values of
10649 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
10650 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
10652 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10653 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10654 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
10655 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
10657 Ready-made functions include@*
10658 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
10659 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
10660 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
10661 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
10662 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
10663 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
10664 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
10665 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
10666 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10667 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10668 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10669 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
10671 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
10672 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
10674 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
10675 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
10676 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
10679 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
10680 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
10681 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
10682 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
10686 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
10695 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
10696 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
10697 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
10698 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
10699 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
10700 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10701 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10703 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10704 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10705 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10706 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10708 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10709 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10710 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10711 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10712 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10713 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10714 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10715 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10716 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10718 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10719 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10720 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10721 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10722 quoted-printable header encoding.
10724 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10725 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10726 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10730 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10733 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10734 means encode all charsets),
10736 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10737 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10738 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10745 @cindex coding system aliases
10746 @cindex preferred charset
10748 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10749 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10750 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10752 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10754 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10755 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10758 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10759 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10762 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10763 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10765 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10768 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10771 This will almost do the right thing.
10773 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10777 (codepage-setup 1251)
10778 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10782 @node Article Commands
10783 @section Article Commands
10790 @kindex A P (Summary)
10791 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10792 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10793 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10794 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10795 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10796 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10799 @vindex gnus-fetch-partial-articles
10800 @findex gnus-summary-show-complete-article
10801 If @code{<backend>-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
10802 fetch partial articles, if the backend it fetches them from supports
10803 it. Currently only @code{nnimap} does. If you're looking at a
10804 partial article, and want to see the complete article instead, then
10805 the @kbd{A C} command (@code{gnus-summary-show-complete-article}) will
10811 @node Summary Sorting
10812 @section Summary Sorting
10813 @cindex summary sorting
10815 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10816 can't really see why you'd want that.
10821 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10822 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10823 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10825 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10826 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10827 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10828 Sort by most recent article number
10829 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10832 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10833 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10834 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10837 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10838 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10839 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10842 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10843 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10844 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10847 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10848 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10849 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10851 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10852 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10853 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10854 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10857 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10858 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10859 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10862 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10863 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10864 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10867 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10868 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10869 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10872 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10873 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10874 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10877 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10878 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10879 Sort using the default sorting method
10880 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10883 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10884 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10885 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10886 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10887 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10890 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10893 @node Finding the Parent
10894 @section Finding the Parent
10895 @cindex parent articles
10896 @cindex referring articles
10900 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10901 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10902 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10903 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10904 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10905 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10906 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10907 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10908 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10909 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10911 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10912 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10913 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10914 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10915 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10918 @item A R (Summary)
10919 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10920 @kindex A R (Summary)
10921 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10922 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10924 @item A T (Summary)
10925 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10926 @kindex A T (Summary)
10927 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10928 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10929 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10930 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10931 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10932 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10933 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10935 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10936 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
10937 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10938 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10939 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10940 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10942 @item M-^ (Summary)
10943 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10944 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10946 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10947 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10948 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10949 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10950 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10951 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10953 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10954 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10955 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10958 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10959 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10960 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10961 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10962 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10963 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10966 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10967 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10968 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10971 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
10972 then ask Google if that fails:
10975 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
10977 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
10980 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
10981 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
10982 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
10983 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
10984 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
10985 group. @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
10987 Fortunately, the special @code{nnregistry} back end is able to locate
10988 articles in any groups, regardless of their back end (@pxref{Registry
10989 Article Refer Method, fetching by @code{Message-ID} using the
10992 @node Alternative Approaches
10993 @section Alternative Approaches
10995 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
10996 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
10999 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
11000 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
11004 @node Pick and Read
11005 @subsection Pick and Read
11006 @cindex pick and read
11008 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
11009 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
11010 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
11011 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
11013 @findex gnus-pick-mode
11014 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
11015 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
11016 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
11017 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
11018 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
11020 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
11025 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
11026 Pick the article or thread on the current line
11027 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11028 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
11029 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
11030 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
11031 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
11032 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
11035 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
11036 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
11037 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
11038 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
11042 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
11043 Unpick the thread or article
11044 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
11045 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
11046 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
11047 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
11048 the thread or article at that line.
11052 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
11053 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
11054 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
11055 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
11056 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
11057 will still be visible when you are reading.
11061 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
11062 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
11063 which is mapped to the same function
11064 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
11066 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
11069 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
11072 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
11073 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
11075 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
11076 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
11077 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
11079 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
11080 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
11081 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
11082 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
11083 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
11084 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
11085 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
11088 @node Binary Groups
11089 @subsection Binary Groups
11090 @cindex binary groups
11092 @findex gnus-binary-mode
11093 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
11094 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
11095 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
11096 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
11097 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
11098 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
11101 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
11102 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
11103 command, when you have turned on this mode
11104 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
11106 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
11107 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
11111 @section Tree Display
11114 @vindex gnus-use-trees
11115 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
11116 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
11117 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
11118 in the tree buffer.
11120 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
11123 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
11124 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
11125 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
11127 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11128 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
11129 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
11130 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
11131 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
11133 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
11134 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
11135 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
11136 default is @code{modeline}.
11138 @item gnus-tree-line-format
11139 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
11140 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
11141 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
11142 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
11143 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
11144 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
11150 The name of the poster.
11152 The @code{From} header.
11154 The number of the article.
11156 The opening bracket.
11158 The closing bracket.
11163 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
11165 Variables related to the display are:
11168 @item gnus-tree-brackets
11169 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
11170 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
11171 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
11173 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
11174 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
11175 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
11177 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
11179 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11180 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
11181 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
11182 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
11186 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
11187 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
11188 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
11189 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
11190 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
11191 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
11192 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
11193 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
11194 other windows displayed next to it.
11196 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
11200 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
11201 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
11204 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
11205 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
11206 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11207 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
11208 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
11209 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
11210 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
11214 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
11217 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
11227 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
11232 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
11233 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
11235 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
11237 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
11243 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
11244 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
11245 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11248 (setq gnus-use-trees t
11249 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
11250 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
11251 (gnus-add-configuration
11255 (summary 0.75 point)
11260 @xref{Window Layout}.
11263 @node Mail Group Commands
11264 @section Mail Group Commands
11265 @cindex mail group commands
11267 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
11268 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
11270 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
11271 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11276 @kindex B e (Summary)
11277 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
11278 @cindex expiring mail
11279 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
11280 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
11281 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
11282 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11285 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
11286 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
11287 @cindex expiring mail
11288 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
11289 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
11290 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
11291 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
11294 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
11295 @cindex deleting mail
11296 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
11297 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
11298 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
11299 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
11300 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
11303 @kindex B m (Summary)
11305 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
11306 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
11307 Move the article from one mail group to another
11308 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11309 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11312 @kindex B c (Summary)
11314 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
11315 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
11316 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
11317 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
11318 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
11321 @kindex B B (Summary)
11322 @cindex crosspost mail
11323 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
11324 Crosspost the current article to some other group
11325 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
11326 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
11327 be properly updated.
11330 @kindex B i (Summary)
11331 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
11332 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
11333 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
11334 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11337 @kindex B I (Summary)
11338 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
11339 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
11340 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
11341 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
11344 @kindex B r (Summary)
11345 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
11346 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
11347 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
11348 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
11349 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
11350 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
11351 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
11352 (which is the default).
11356 @kindex B w (Summary)
11357 @kindex e (Summary)
11358 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
11359 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
11360 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
11361 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
11362 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
11363 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
11364 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
11367 @kindex B q (Summary)
11368 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
11369 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
11370 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
11371 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
11374 @kindex B t (Summary)
11375 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
11376 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
11377 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
11380 @kindex B p (Summary)
11381 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
11382 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
11383 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
11384 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
11385 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
11386 article from your news server (or rather, from
11387 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
11388 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
11389 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
11390 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
11391 just not have arrived yet.
11394 @kindex K E (Summary)
11395 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
11396 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
11397 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
11398 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
11399 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
11403 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
11404 @cindex moving articles
11405 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
11406 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
11407 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
11408 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
11409 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
11410 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
11411 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
11414 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
11415 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
11416 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
11417 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
11421 @node Various Summary Stuff
11422 @section Various Summary Stuff
11425 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
11426 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
11427 * Summary Generation Commands::
11428 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
11432 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
11433 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
11434 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
11435 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
11436 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
11437 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
11439 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
11440 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
11441 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
11444 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
11445 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
11446 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
11448 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
11449 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
11450 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
11451 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
11452 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
11453 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
11456 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11457 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
11458 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
11459 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
11460 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
11462 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11463 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
11464 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
11467 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11468 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
11469 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
11470 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
11471 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
11472 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
11473 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
11474 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
11475 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
11476 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
11478 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11479 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
11480 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
11481 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
11482 list of articles to be selected.
11484 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
11485 the list in one particular group:
11488 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
11489 (if (string= group "some.group")
11490 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
11494 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
11495 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
11496 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
11497 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
11498 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
11501 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
11502 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
11503 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
11504 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
11505 variable will be used instead.
11507 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
11508 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
11509 buffers. For example:
11512 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
11513 '(message-use-followup-to
11514 (gnus-visible-headers .
11515 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
11518 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
11520 @vindex gnus-propagate-marks
11521 @item gnus-propagate-marks
11522 If non-@code{nil}, propagate marks to the backends for possible
11523 storing. @xref{NNTP marks}, and friends, for a more fine-grained
11529 @node Summary Group Information
11530 @subsection Summary Group Information
11535 @kindex H d (Summary)
11536 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
11537 Give a brief description of the current group
11538 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
11539 rereading the description from the server.
11542 @kindex H h (Summary)
11543 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
11544 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
11545 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
11548 @kindex H i (Summary)
11549 @findex gnus-info-find-node
11550 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
11554 @node Searching for Articles
11555 @subsection Searching for Articles
11560 @kindex M-s (Summary)
11561 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
11562 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
11563 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
11566 @kindex M-r (Summary)
11567 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
11568 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
11569 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
11572 @kindex M-S (Summary)
11573 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
11574 Repeat the previous search forwards
11575 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
11578 @kindex M-R (Summary)
11579 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
11580 Repeat the previous search backwards
11581 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
11584 @kindex & (Summary)
11585 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
11586 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
11587 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
11588 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
11589 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
11590 search backward instead.
11592 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
11593 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
11596 @kindex M-& (Summary)
11597 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
11598 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
11599 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
11602 @node Summary Generation Commands
11603 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
11608 @kindex Y g (Summary)
11609 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
11610 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
11613 @kindex Y c (Summary)
11614 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
11615 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11616 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
11619 @kindex Y d (Summary)
11620 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
11621 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11622 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
11625 @kindex Y t (Summary)
11626 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
11627 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
11628 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
11633 @node Really Various Summary Commands
11634 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
11640 @kindex C-d (Summary)
11641 @kindex A D (Summary)
11642 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
11643 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
11644 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
11645 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
11646 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
11647 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
11648 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
11649 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
11652 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
11653 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
11654 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
11659 Select the next article.
11662 Select the next unread article.
11664 @item next-noselect
11665 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
11667 @item next-unread-noselect
11668 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
11671 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
11672 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
11675 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
11676 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
11677 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
11678 several documents into one biiig group
11679 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
11680 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
11681 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
11682 command understands the process/prefix convention
11683 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11686 @kindex C-t (Summary)
11687 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
11688 Toggle truncation of summary lines
11689 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
11690 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
11691 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
11694 @kindex = (Summary)
11695 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
11696 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
11697 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
11700 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11701 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11702 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11703 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11706 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11707 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11708 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11709 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11714 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11715 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11716 @cindex summary exit
11717 @cindex exiting groups
11719 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11720 group and return you to the group buffer.
11727 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11728 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11729 @kindex q (Summary)
11730 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11731 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11732 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11733 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11734 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11735 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11736 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11737 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11738 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11739 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11740 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11741 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11745 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11746 @kindex Q (Summary)
11747 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11748 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11749 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11753 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11754 @kindex c (Summary)
11755 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11756 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11757 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11758 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11761 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11762 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11763 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11764 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11767 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11768 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11769 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11770 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11773 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11774 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11775 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11776 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11780 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11781 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11782 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11783 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11784 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11785 all articles, both read and unread.
11789 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11790 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11791 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11792 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11793 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11794 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11795 articles, both read and unread.
11798 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11799 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11800 Exit the group and go to the next group
11801 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11804 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11805 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11806 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11807 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11810 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11811 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11812 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11813 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11814 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11815 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11818 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11819 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11820 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11821 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11823 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11824 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11825 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11826 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11827 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11828 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11829 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11830 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11831 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11832 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11833 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11834 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11836 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11838 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11839 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11840 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11841 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11842 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11843 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11844 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11845 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11846 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11849 @node Crosspost Handling
11850 @section Crosspost Handling
11854 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11855 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11856 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11857 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11858 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11861 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11862 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11863 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11864 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11865 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11867 @cindex cross-posting
11869 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11870 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11871 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11872 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11873 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11874 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11875 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11876 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11877 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11878 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11879 the cross reference mechanism.
11881 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11882 @cindex overview.fmt
11883 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11884 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11885 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11886 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11887 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11888 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11891 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11892 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11893 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11897 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11900 @node Duplicate Suppression
11901 @section Duplicate Suppression
11903 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11904 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11905 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11906 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11911 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11912 is evil and not very common.
11915 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11916 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11919 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11920 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11923 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11926 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11927 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11929 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11930 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11931 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11932 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11933 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11934 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11935 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11938 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11939 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11940 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11941 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11942 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11943 saw the article in.
11946 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11947 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11948 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11950 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11951 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11952 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11953 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11954 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11955 session are suppressed.
11957 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11958 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11959 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11960 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11962 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11963 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11964 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
11965 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
11968 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
11969 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
11970 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
11971 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
11972 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
11973 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
11974 to you to figure out, I think.
11979 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
11980 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
11981 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
11986 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
11987 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
11988 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
11989 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
11990 PGG Manual}), and Mailcrypt are also supported.
11993 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
11994 or newer is recommended.
11998 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
12002 @item mm-verify-option
12003 @vindex mm-verify-option
12004 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
12005 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
12006 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12008 @item mm-decrypt-option
12009 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
12010 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
12011 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
12012 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
12014 @item mm-sign-option
12015 @vindex mm-sign-option
12016 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
12017 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
12019 @item mm-encrypt-option
12020 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
12021 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
12022 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
12023 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
12026 @vindex mml1991-use
12027 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12028 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
12029 and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported although
12030 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
12034 @vindex mml2015-use
12035 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
12036 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
12037 @code{pgg}, and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported
12038 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
12039 interface in this order.
12043 By default the buttons that display security information are not
12044 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
12045 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
12046 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
12047 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
12048 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
12049 how to customize these variables to always display security
12052 @cindex snarfing keys
12053 @cindex importing PGP keys
12054 @cindex PGP key ring import
12055 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
12056 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
12057 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
12058 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
12059 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
12060 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
12061 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
12062 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
12063 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
12066 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
12069 This happens to also be the default action defined in
12070 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
12072 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
12073 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
12074 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
12077 @section Mailing List
12078 @cindex mailing list
12081 @kindex A M (summary)
12082 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
12083 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
12084 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
12085 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
12088 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
12093 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
12094 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
12095 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
12098 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
12099 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
12100 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
12103 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
12104 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
12105 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
12109 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
12110 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
12111 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
12114 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
12115 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
12116 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
12119 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
12120 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
12121 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
12126 @node Article Buffer
12127 @chapter Article Buffer
12128 @cindex article buffer
12130 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
12131 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
12132 tell Gnus otherwise.
12135 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
12136 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
12137 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
12138 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
12139 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
12140 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
12144 @node Hiding Headers
12145 @section Hiding Headers
12146 @cindex hiding headers
12147 @cindex deleting headers
12149 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
12150 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
12152 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
12153 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
12154 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
12155 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
12156 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
12157 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
12158 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
12159 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
12160 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
12162 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
12166 @item gnus-visible-headers
12167 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
12168 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
12169 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
12170 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
12172 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
12173 the article and the subject, you'd say:
12176 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
12179 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12182 @item gnus-ignored-headers
12183 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
12184 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
12185 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
12186 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
12187 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
12189 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
12190 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
12193 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
12196 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
12199 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
12200 variable will have no effect.
12204 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
12205 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
12206 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
12207 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
12208 the headers are to be displayed.
12210 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
12211 and then the subject, you might say something like:
12214 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
12217 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
12218 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
12220 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
12221 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
12222 You can hide further boring headers by setting
12223 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
12224 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
12225 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
12226 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
12229 These conditions are:
12232 Remove all empty headers.
12234 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
12235 @code{Newsgroups} header.
12237 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
12238 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
12241 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
12244 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12245 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
12247 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
12248 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12250 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
12251 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
12253 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
12256 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
12258 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
12261 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
12264 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
12265 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
12268 This is also the default value for this variable.
12272 @section Using MIME
12273 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12275 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
12276 while people stand around yawning.
12278 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
12279 while all newsreaders die of fear.
12281 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
12282 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
12283 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
12285 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
12286 @findex gnus-display-mime
12287 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
12288 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
12289 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
12290 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
12292 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
12293 @acronym{MIME} button:
12296 @findex gnus-article-press-button
12297 @item RET (Article)
12298 @kindex RET (Article)
12299 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
12300 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
12301 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
12302 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
12303 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
12304 object is displayed inline.
12306 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
12307 @item M-RET (Article)
12308 @kindex M-RET (Article)
12310 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12311 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
12313 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
12315 @kindex t (Article)
12316 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
12317 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
12319 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
12321 @kindex C (Article)
12322 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
12323 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
12325 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
12327 @kindex o (Article)
12328 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
12329 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
12331 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
12332 @item C-o (Article)
12333 @kindex C-o (Article)
12334 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
12335 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
12336 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
12337 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
12338 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
12339 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
12341 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
12343 @kindex r (Article)
12344 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
12345 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
12346 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
12348 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
12350 @kindex d (Article)
12351 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
12352 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
12353 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
12355 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
12357 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
12359 @kindex c (Article)
12360 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
12361 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
12362 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
12363 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
12364 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
12365 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
12366 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
12367 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12369 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
12371 @kindex p (Article)
12372 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
12373 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
12374 @file{.mailcap} file.
12376 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
12378 @kindex i (Article)
12379 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
12380 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
12381 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
12382 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
12383 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
12384 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
12385 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
12386 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
12387 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
12389 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
12391 @kindex E (Article)
12392 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
12393 viewer is available, use an external viewer
12394 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
12396 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
12398 @kindex e (Article)
12399 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
12400 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
12402 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
12404 @kindex | (Article)
12405 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
12407 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
12409 @kindex . (Article)
12410 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
12411 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
12415 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
12416 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
12417 @acronym{MIME} manual.
12419 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
12420 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
12421 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
12422 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
12423 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
12424 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
12425 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
12426 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
12427 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
12429 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
12431 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
12435 @section @acronym{HTML}
12436 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
12438 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
12439 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
12440 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
12441 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
12443 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
12444 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
12445 section only describes the default method.
12448 @item mm-text-html-renderer
12449 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
12450 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
12451 that's based on @code{w3m}.
12453 @item gnus-blocked-images
12454 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
12455 External images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't
12456 be fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s
12457 that have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
12460 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
12463 This can also be a function to be evaluated. If so, it will be
12464 called with the group name as the parameter. The default value is
12465 @code{gnus-block-private-groups}, which will return @samp{"."} for
12466 anything that isn't a newsgroup. This means that no external images
12467 will be fetched as a result of reading mail, so that nobody can use
12468 web bugs (and the like) to track whether you've read email.
12470 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
12471 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
12472 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
12473 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
12476 @item gnus-html-cache-size
12477 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
12478 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
12479 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
12481 @item gnus-html-frame-width
12482 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
12483 The width to use when rendering HTML. The default is 70.
12485 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
12486 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
12487 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
12488 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
12489 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
12490 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
12491 fit these criteria.
12495 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
12496 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
12501 @node Customizing Articles
12502 @section Customizing Articles
12503 @cindex article customization
12505 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
12506 exist. You can call these functions interactively
12507 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
12508 called automatically when you select the articles.
12510 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
12511 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
12512 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
12513 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
12515 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
12516 for sensible values.
12520 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
12523 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
12526 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
12529 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
12532 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
12535 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
12539 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
12540 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
12541 regexps in the list.
12544 A list where the first element is not a string:
12546 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
12547 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
12548 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
12552 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
12557 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
12558 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
12559 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
12560 considered to contain just a single part.
12562 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
12563 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
12564 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
12565 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
12566 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
12567 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
12568 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
12571 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
12572 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
12574 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
12575 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
12576 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
12577 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
12578 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
12579 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
12580 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
12581 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
12582 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
12583 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
12584 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
12585 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
12586 @vindex gnus-treat-date-english
12587 @vindex gnus-treat-date-iso8601
12588 @vindex gnus-treat-date-lapsed
12589 @vindex gnus-treat-date-local
12590 @vindex gnus-treat-date-original
12591 @vindex gnus-treat-date-user-defined
12592 @vindex gnus-treat-date-ut
12593 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
12594 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
12595 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
12596 @vindex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
12597 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
12598 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
12599 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
12600 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12601 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12602 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12603 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12604 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12605 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12606 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12607 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12608 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12609 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12610 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12611 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12612 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12613 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12614 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12615 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12616 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12617 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12618 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12619 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12620 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12623 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
12624 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
12625 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
12626 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
12629 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
12630 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
12632 @xref{Article Buttons}.
12634 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
12635 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
12636 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
12637 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
12638 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
12639 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
12640 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
12641 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
12642 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
12643 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
12645 @xref{Article Washing}.
12647 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
12648 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
12649 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
12650 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
12651 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
12652 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
12653 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
12655 @xref{Article Date}.
12657 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
12658 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
12659 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
12663 @item gnus-treat-from-gravatar (head)
12664 @item gnus-treat-mail-gravatar (head)
12668 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
12670 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
12672 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
12673 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
12674 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
12678 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12679 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12683 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12684 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12688 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12689 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12690 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12691 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12692 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12693 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12694 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12695 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12696 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12697 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12698 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12699 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12700 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12701 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12702 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12703 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12704 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12705 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12706 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12707 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12709 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12711 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12712 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12713 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12714 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12715 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12716 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12718 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12720 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12721 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12722 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12723 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12724 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12726 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12727 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12728 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12729 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12730 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12731 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12732 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12733 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12735 @xref{Article Header}.
12740 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12741 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12742 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12743 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12744 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12748 @node Article Keymap
12749 @section Article Keymap
12751 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12752 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12753 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12754 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12757 @kindex v (Article)
12758 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12759 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12760 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12762 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12767 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12768 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12769 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12770 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12773 @kindex DEL (Article)
12774 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12775 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12776 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12779 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12780 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12781 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12782 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12783 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12786 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12787 @findex gnus-article-mail
12788 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12789 given a prefix, include the mail.
12792 @kindex s (Article)
12793 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12794 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12795 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12798 @kindex ? (Article)
12799 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12800 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12801 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12804 @kindex TAB (Article)
12805 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12806 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12807 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12810 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12811 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12812 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12815 @kindex R (Article)
12816 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12817 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12818 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12819 only yank the text in the region.
12822 @kindex S W (Article)
12823 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12824 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12825 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12826 active, only yank the text in the region.
12829 @kindex F (Article)
12830 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12831 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12832 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12833 only yank the text in the region.
12840 @section Misc Article
12844 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12845 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12846 @cindex article buffers, several
12847 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12848 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12851 @item gnus-widen-article-window
12852 @cindex gnus-widen-article-window
12853 If non-@code{nil}, selecting the article buffer with the @kbd{h}
12854 command will ``widen'' the article window to take the entire frame.
12856 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12857 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12858 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12859 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12860 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12862 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12863 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12864 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12865 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12866 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12867 the contents of the article buffer.
12869 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12870 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12871 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12873 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12874 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12875 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12876 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12878 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12879 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12880 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12881 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12883 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12884 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12885 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12886 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12887 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12888 with two extensions:
12893 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12894 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12895 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12900 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12903 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12906 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12907 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12908 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
12911 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12914 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12917 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12922 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12926 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12928 @item gnus-break-pages
12929 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12930 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12931 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12932 paging will not be done.
12934 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12935 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12936 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12940 @cindex internationalized domain names
12941 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12942 @item gnus-use-idna
12943 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12944 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12945 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12946 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12947 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12948 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12953 @node Composing Messages
12954 @chapter Composing Messages
12955 @cindex composing messages
12958 @cindex sending mail
12963 @cindex using s/mime
12964 @cindex using smime
12966 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12967 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12968 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12969 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12970 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12971 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12974 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12975 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
12976 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
12977 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
12978 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
12979 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
12980 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
12981 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
12982 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
12985 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
12986 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
12992 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
12995 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
12996 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
12997 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
12998 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
12999 @code{nil} include all headers.
13001 @item gnus-add-to-list
13002 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
13003 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
13004 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
13006 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13007 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
13008 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
13009 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
13010 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
13011 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
13012 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
13013 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
13015 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
13016 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
13018 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13019 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
13020 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
13021 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
13022 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
13027 @node Posting Server
13028 @section Posting Server
13030 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
13031 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
13033 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
13035 It can be quite complicated.
13037 @vindex gnus-post-method
13038 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
13039 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
13040 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
13041 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
13042 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
13043 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
13044 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
13045 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
13046 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
13049 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
13052 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
13053 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
13054 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
13055 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
13057 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
13058 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
13060 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
13061 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
13064 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
13065 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
13067 @vindex message-send-mail-function
13068 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
13069 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
13070 value suitable for your system.
13071 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
13074 @node POP before SMTP
13075 @section POP before SMTP
13076 @cindex pop before smtp
13077 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
13078 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
13080 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
13081 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
13082 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
13083 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
13084 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13087 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
13088 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
13092 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
13093 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
13094 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
13095 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
13096 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
13097 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
13098 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
13099 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13101 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
13102 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
13103 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
13104 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
13105 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
13106 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
13109 (setq mail-source-primary-source
13110 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13111 :password "secret"))
13115 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
13116 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
13119 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
13121 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
13122 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13123 :password "secret")))
13124 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
13127 @node Mail and Post
13128 @section Mail and Post
13130 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
13134 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
13135 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
13136 @cindex mailing lists
13138 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
13139 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
13140 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
13141 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
13142 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
13143 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
13144 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
13145 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
13146 still a pain, though.
13148 @item gnus-user-agent
13149 @vindex gnus-user-agent
13152 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
13153 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
13154 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
13155 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
13156 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
13157 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
13158 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
13162 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
13163 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
13164 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
13167 @findex ispell-message
13169 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
13172 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
13173 you're in, you could say something like the following:
13176 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
13180 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
13181 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
13183 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
13186 Modify to suit your needs.
13188 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
13189 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
13190 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
13193 @node Archived Messages
13194 @section Archived Messages
13195 @cindex archived messages
13196 @cindex sent messages
13198 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
13199 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
13200 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
13201 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
13204 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
13205 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
13208 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
13209 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
13210 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
13211 actually being used it is expanded into:
13214 (nnfolder "archive"
13215 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
13216 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
13217 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
13218 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
13222 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
13223 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
13224 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
13225 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
13226 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
13227 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
13228 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13229 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
13230 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
13231 saved method to reflect always the value of
13232 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
13233 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
13234 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
13237 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
13238 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
13239 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
13240 directory chosen, you could say something like:
13243 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
13244 '(nnfolder "archive"
13245 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
13246 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
13247 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
13250 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
13252 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
13253 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
13254 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
13256 This variable can be used to do the following:
13260 Messages will be saved in that group.
13262 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
13263 message will not be stored in the select method given by
13264 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
13265 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
13266 has the default value shown above. Then setting
13267 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
13268 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
13269 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
13272 @item a list of strings
13273 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
13275 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
13276 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
13279 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
13284 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
13286 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
13289 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
13291 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
13294 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
13296 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13297 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
13298 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
13299 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
13302 More complex stuff:
13304 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13305 '((if (message-news-p)
13310 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
13311 messages in one file per month:
13314 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
13315 '((if (message-news-p)
13317 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
13320 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
13321 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
13323 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
13324 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
13325 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
13326 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
13327 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
13328 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
13329 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
13330 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
13331 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
13332 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
13334 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
13335 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
13336 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
13337 this will disable archiving.
13340 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
13341 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
13342 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
13343 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
13344 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
13347 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
13348 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
13349 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
13352 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
13353 but the latter is the preferred method.
13355 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13356 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
13357 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
13359 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13360 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
13361 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
13362 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
13363 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
13364 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
13365 changed in the future.
13370 @node Posting Styles
13371 @section Posting Styles
13372 @cindex posting styles
13375 All them variables, they make my head swim.
13377 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
13378 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
13379 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
13382 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
13383 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
13384 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
13385 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
13386 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
13391 (signature "Peace and happiness")
13392 (organization "What me?"))
13394 (signature "Death to everybody"))
13395 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
13396 (organization "Emacs is it")))
13399 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
13400 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
13401 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
13402 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
13403 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
13404 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
13405 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
13406 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
13408 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
13409 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
13410 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
13411 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
13412 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
13413 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
13414 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
13415 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
13416 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
13417 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
13418 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
13419 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
13420 said to @dfn{match}.
13422 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
13423 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
13424 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
13425 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
13426 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
13427 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
13428 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
13429 name can be one of:
13432 @item @code{signature}
13433 @item @code{signature-file}
13434 @item @code{x-face-file}
13435 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
13436 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
13440 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
13441 @code{message-signature-directory}.
13443 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
13444 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
13445 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
13446 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
13447 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
13449 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
13450 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
13451 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
13452 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
13453 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
13454 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
13455 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
13456 references chars lines xref extra.
13458 @vindex message-reply-headers
13460 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
13461 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
13462 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
13464 @findex message-mail-p
13465 @findex message-news-p
13467 So here's a new example:
13470 (setq gnus-posting-styles
13472 (signature-file "~/.signature")
13474 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
13475 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
13476 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
13478 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
13479 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
13480 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
13481 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
13482 (signature my-news-signature))
13483 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
13484 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
13485 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
13486 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
13487 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
13488 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
13489 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
13490 (address "user@@bar.foo")
13491 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
13492 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
13494 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
13495 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
13497 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
13500 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
13501 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
13502 if you fill many roles.
13503 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
13504 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
13510 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
13511 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
13512 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
13513 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
13514 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
13516 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
13517 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
13518 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
13519 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
13520 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
13524 @vindex nndraft-directory
13525 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
13526 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
13527 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
13528 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
13529 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
13530 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
13532 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
13533 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
13534 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
13535 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
13536 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
13537 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
13538 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
13539 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
13540 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
13542 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
13543 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
13544 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
13545 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
13546 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
13547 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
13548 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
13549 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
13550 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
13551 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
13552 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
13553 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
13554 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
13555 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
13557 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
13558 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
13559 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
13561 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
13562 @kindex D e (Draft)
13563 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
13564 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
13565 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
13567 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
13570 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
13571 @kindex D s (Draft)
13572 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
13573 @kindex D S (Draft)
13574 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
13575 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
13576 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
13577 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
13578 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
13581 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
13582 @kindex D t (Draft)
13583 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
13584 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
13585 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
13587 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
13588 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13591 @node Rejected Articles
13592 @section Rejected Articles
13593 @cindex rejected articles
13595 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
13596 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
13597 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
13598 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
13600 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
13601 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
13602 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
13603 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
13604 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
13606 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
13607 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
13608 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
13610 @node Signing and encrypting
13611 @section Signing and encrypting
13613 @cindex using s/mime
13614 @cindex using smime
13616 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
13617 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
13618 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
13619 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
13621 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
13622 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
13623 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
13624 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
13625 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
13626 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
13627 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
13628 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
13629 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
13630 automatically encrypted messages.
13632 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
13633 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
13634 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
13639 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
13640 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
13642 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13645 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
13646 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13648 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13651 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
13652 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13654 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13657 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
13658 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
13660 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13663 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
13664 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
13666 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13669 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
13670 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13672 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13675 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13676 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13677 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13681 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13683 @node Select Methods
13684 @chapter Select Methods
13685 @cindex foreign groups
13686 @cindex select methods
13688 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13689 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13690 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13691 personal mail group.
13693 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13694 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13695 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
13696 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13697 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13698 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13700 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13701 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13703 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13706 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13707 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13708 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13709 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13710 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13712 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13715 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13716 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13717 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
13718 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13719 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13720 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13721 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13722 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13723 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13727 @node Server Buffer
13728 @section Server Buffer
13730 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13731 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13732 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13733 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13734 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13735 back end represents a virtual server.
13737 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13738 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13739 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13740 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13742 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13743 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13744 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13745 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13746 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13747 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13748 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13750 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13751 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13754 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13755 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13756 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13757 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13758 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13759 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13760 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13763 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13764 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13767 @node Server Buffer Format
13768 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13769 @cindex server buffer format
13771 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13772 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13773 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13774 variable, with some simple extensions:
13779 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13782 The name of this server.
13785 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13788 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13791 Whether this server is agentized.
13794 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13795 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13796 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13797 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13807 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13810 @node Server Commands
13811 @subsection Server Commands
13812 @cindex server commands
13818 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13819 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13820 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13824 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13825 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13829 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13830 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13833 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13834 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13835 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13839 @findex gnus-server-exit
13840 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13844 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13845 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13849 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13850 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13854 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13855 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13859 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13860 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13864 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13865 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13866 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13871 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13872 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13873 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13874 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13878 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13880 Compact all groups in the server under point
13881 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13882 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13883 hence getting a correct total article count.
13888 @node Example Methods
13889 @subsection Example Methods
13891 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13894 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13897 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13903 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13904 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13907 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13908 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13910 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13911 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13915 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13918 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13919 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13921 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13922 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13923 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13927 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13930 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13933 Here's the method for a public spool:
13937 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13938 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13944 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13945 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13946 on the firewall machine and connect with
13947 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13948 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13949 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13950 should probably look something like this:
13954 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13955 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13956 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13959 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13960 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13961 configuration to the example above:
13964 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13967 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13968 an indirect connection:
13971 (setq gnus-select-method
13973 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13974 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13975 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
13976 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13977 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
13978 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
13981 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
13982 provide automatic authorization, of course.
13984 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
13985 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
13986 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
13990 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13991 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13992 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13996 @node Creating a Virtual Server
13997 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
13999 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
14000 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
14002 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
14003 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
14004 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
14006 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
14008 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
14009 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
14010 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
14011 will contain the following:
14021 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
14022 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
14025 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
14026 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
14027 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
14030 @node Server Variables
14031 @subsection Server Variables
14032 @cindex server variables
14033 @cindex server parameters
14035 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
14036 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
14037 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
14038 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
14039 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
14041 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
14042 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
14043 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
14044 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
14045 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
14046 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
14047 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
14048 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
14049 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
14053 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
14054 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
14055 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
14058 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
14060 @node Servers and Methods
14061 @subsection Servers and Methods
14063 Wherever you would normally use a select method
14064 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
14065 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
14066 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
14070 @node Unavailable Servers
14071 @subsection Unavailable Servers
14073 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
14074 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
14075 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
14076 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
14077 actually the case or not.
14079 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
14080 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
14081 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
14082 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
14083 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
14084 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
14085 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
14086 it will regard that server as ``down''.
14088 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
14089 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
14091 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
14092 with the following commands:
14098 @findex gnus-server-open-server
14099 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
14100 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
14104 @findex gnus-server-close-server
14105 Close the connection (if any) to the server
14106 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
14110 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
14111 Mark the current server as unreachable
14112 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
14115 @kindex M-o (Server)
14116 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
14117 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
14118 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
14121 @kindex M-c (Server)
14122 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
14123 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
14124 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
14128 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
14129 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
14130 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
14134 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
14135 Copy a server and give it a new name
14136 (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}). This can be useful if you have a
14137 complex method definition, and want to use the same definition towards
14138 a different (physical) server.
14142 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
14143 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
14149 @section Getting News
14150 @cindex reading news
14151 @cindex news back ends
14153 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
14154 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
14155 or it can read from a local spool.
14158 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14159 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
14167 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
14168 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
14169 server as the, uhm, address.
14171 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
14172 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
14173 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
14174 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14176 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
14177 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
14178 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
14180 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
14185 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
14186 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
14187 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
14189 @cindex authentication
14190 @cindex nntp authentication
14191 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14192 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
14193 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
14194 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
14195 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
14196 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
14197 present in this hook.
14199 @item nntp-authinfo-function
14200 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
14201 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
14202 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
14203 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
14204 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
14205 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
14206 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
14207 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
14208 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
14209 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
14210 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
14214 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
14217 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
14219 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
14220 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
14221 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
14222 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
14223 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
14224 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
14225 @samp{force} is explained below.
14229 Here's an example file:
14232 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
14233 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
14236 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
14237 have to be first, for instance.
14239 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
14240 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
14241 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
14242 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
14243 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
14244 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
14245 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
14247 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
14248 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
14254 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
14255 previously mentioned.
14257 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
14259 @item nntp-server-action-alist
14260 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
14261 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
14262 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
14263 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
14266 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
14267 '(("innd" (ding))))
14270 You probably don't want to do that, though.
14272 The default value is
14275 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
14276 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
14277 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
14280 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
14281 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
14283 @item nntp-maximum-request
14284 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
14285 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
14286 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
14287 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
14288 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
14289 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
14290 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
14292 @item nntp-connection-timeout
14293 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
14294 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
14295 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
14296 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
14297 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
14298 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
14299 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
14300 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
14301 no timeouts are done.
14303 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
14304 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
14305 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
14306 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
14309 @item nntp-xover-commands
14310 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
14311 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
14313 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
14314 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
14318 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
14319 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
14320 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
14321 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
14322 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
14323 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
14324 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
14325 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
14326 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
14327 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
14328 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
14330 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14331 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
14332 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
14333 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
14334 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
14335 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
14336 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
14337 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
14338 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
14339 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
14340 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
14341 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
14342 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
14343 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
14344 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
14345 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
14346 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
14349 (setq gnus-select-method
14351 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
14352 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
14356 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
14358 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
14359 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
14360 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
14362 @item nntp-record-commands
14363 @vindex nntp-record-commands
14364 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
14365 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
14366 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
14367 that doesn't seem to work.
14369 @item nntp-open-connection-function
14370 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
14371 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
14372 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
14373 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
14374 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
14375 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
14376 indirect ones (three pre-made).
14378 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
14379 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
14380 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
14381 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
14382 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
14383 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
14384 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
14385 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
14386 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
14388 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14389 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
14390 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
14391 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
14392 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
14393 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
14394 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
14396 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
14397 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
14398 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
14399 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
14400 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
14401 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
14402 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
14405 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
14408 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
14409 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
14411 @item nntp-server-list-active-group
14412 If @code{nil}, then always use @samp{GROUP} instead of @samp{LIST
14413 ACTIVE}. This is usually slower, but on misconfigured servers that
14414 don't update their active files often, this can help.
14420 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
14421 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
14422 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
14423 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
14427 @node Direct Functions
14428 @subsubsection Direct Functions
14429 @cindex direct connection functions
14431 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
14432 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
14433 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
14434 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14437 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
14438 @item nntp-open-network-stream
14439 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
14442 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
14443 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
14444 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14445 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
14446 installed. You then define a server as follows:
14449 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14450 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
14452 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14453 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
14454 (nntp-port-number 563)
14455 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14458 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
14459 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
14460 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
14461 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
14462 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
14463 then define a server as follows:
14466 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
14467 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
14469 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
14470 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
14471 (nntp-port-number 563)
14472 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
14475 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
14476 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
14477 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
14478 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
14479 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
14480 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
14481 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
14482 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
14486 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14487 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
14488 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
14491 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
14492 session, which is not a good idea.
14494 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
14495 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
14496 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
14497 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
14498 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
14499 not available. The previous example would turn into:
14503 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
14504 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
14505 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
14506 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
14511 @node Indirect Functions
14512 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
14513 @cindex indirect connection functions
14515 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
14516 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14517 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
14518 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
14519 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
14520 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14523 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14524 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
14525 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
14526 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
14527 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
14529 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
14532 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14533 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14534 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14535 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14537 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14538 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14539 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14540 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
14541 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
14542 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
14545 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14546 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
14547 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
14548 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
14549 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
14550 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
14552 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14555 @item nntp-telnet-command
14556 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
14557 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
14558 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
14560 @item nntp-telnet-switches
14561 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
14562 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14563 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
14565 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
14566 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
14567 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
14568 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
14570 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14571 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
14572 List of strings to be used as the switches to
14573 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
14574 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
14575 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
14576 host. The default is @code{nil}.
14579 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14580 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14582 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14583 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
14584 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
14585 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
14587 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
14590 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
14591 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
14592 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
14595 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
14596 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
14597 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
14598 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
14600 @item nntp-via-user-password
14601 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
14602 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
14604 @item nntp-via-envuser
14605 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
14606 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
14607 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
14608 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
14610 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
14611 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
14612 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
14613 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
14617 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
14618 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
14622 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
14627 @item nntp-via-user-name
14628 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
14629 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
14631 @item nntp-via-address
14632 @vindex nntp-via-address
14633 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
14638 @node Common Variables
14639 @subsubsection Common Variables
14641 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
14642 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
14643 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
14644 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
14645 variables individually).
14649 @item nntp-pre-command
14650 @vindex nntp-pre-command
14651 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
14652 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
14653 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
14654 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
14657 @vindex nntp-address
14658 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14660 @item nntp-port-number
14661 @vindex nntp-port-number
14662 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14663 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14664 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14665 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14666 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14667 not work with named ports.
14669 @item nntp-end-of-line
14670 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14671 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14672 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14673 using a non native telnet connection function.
14675 @item nntp-netcat-command
14676 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14677 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14678 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14679 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14682 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14683 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14684 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14690 @subsubsection NNTP marks
14691 @cindex storing NNTP marks
14693 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
14694 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
14695 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
14696 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
14697 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
14698 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
14699 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
14700 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
14702 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
14703 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
14704 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
14705 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
14706 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14708 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
14709 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
14710 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
14711 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
14712 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
14713 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
14714 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
14716 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
14717 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
14718 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14724 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
14725 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
14726 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
14727 default is @code{nil}.
14729 @item nntp-marks-directory
14730 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
14731 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
14737 @subsection News Spool
14741 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14742 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14743 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14746 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14747 anything else) as the address.
14749 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14750 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14751 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14752 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14756 @item nnspool-inews-program
14757 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14758 Program used to post an article.
14760 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14761 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14762 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14764 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14765 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14766 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14767 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14769 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14770 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14771 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14772 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14774 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14775 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14776 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14778 @item nnspool-active-file
14779 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14780 The name of the active file.
14782 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14783 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14784 The name of the group descriptions file.
14786 @item nnspool-history-file
14787 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14788 The name of the news history file.
14790 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14791 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14792 The name of the active date file.
14794 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14795 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14796 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14799 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14800 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14802 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14803 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14804 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14811 @section Using IMAP
14814 The most popular mail backend is probably @code{nnimap}, which
14815 provides access to @acronym{IMAP} servers. @acronym{IMAP} servers
14816 store mail remotely, so the client doesn't store anything locally.
14817 This means that it's a convenient choice when you're reading your mail
14818 from different locations, or with different user agents.
14821 * Connecting to an IMAP Server:: Getting started with @acronym{IMAP}.
14822 * Customizing the IMAP Connection:: Variables for @acronym{IMAP} connection.
14823 * Client-Side IMAP Splitting:: Put mail in the correct mail box.
14827 @node Connecting to an IMAP Server
14828 @subsection Connecting to an IMAP Server
14830 Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} can be very easy. Type @kbd{B} in the
14831 group buffer, or (if your primary interest is reading email), say
14835 (setq gnus-select-method
14836 '(nnimap "imap.gmail.com"))
14839 You'll be prompted for a user name and password. If you grow tired of
14840 that, then add the following to your @file{~/.authinfo} file:
14843 machine imap.gmail.com login <username> password <password> port imap
14846 That should basically be it for most users.
14849 @node Customizing the IMAP Connection
14850 @subsection Customizing the IMAP Connection
14852 Here's an example method that's more complex:
14855 (nnimap "imap.gmail.com"
14856 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14857 (nnimap-split-methods default)
14859 (nnimap-stream ssl)
14860 (nnir-search-engine imap)
14861 (nnimap-expunge-inbox t))
14865 @item nnimap-address
14866 The address of the server, like @samp{imap.gmail.com}.
14868 @item nnimap-server-port
14869 If the server uses a non-standard port, that can be specified here. A
14870 typical port would be @code{"imap"} or @code{"imaps"}.
14872 @item nnimap-stream
14873 How @code{nnimap} should connect to the server. Possible values are:
14877 This is the default, and this uses standard
14878 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connection.
14881 Non-encrypted and unsafe straight socket connection.
14884 Encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} over the normal @acronym{IMAP} port.
14887 If you need to tunnel via other systems to connect to the server, you
14888 can use this option, and customize @code{nnimap-shell-program} to be
14893 @item nnimap-authenticator
14894 Some @acronym{IMAP} servers allow anonymous logins. In that case,
14895 this should be set to @code{anonymous}.
14897 @item nnimap-streaming
14898 Virtually all @code{IMAP} server support fast streaming of data. If
14899 you have problems connecting to the server, try setting this to @code{nil}.
14901 @item nnimap-fetch-partial-articles
14902 If non-@code{nil}, fetch partial articles from the server. If set to
14903 a string, then it's interpreted as a regexp, and parts that have
14904 matching types will be fetched. For instance, @samp{"text/"} will
14905 fetch all textual parts, while leaving the rest on the server.
14910 @node Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14911 @subsection Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14913 Many people prefer to do the sorting/splitting of mail into their mail
14914 boxes on the @acronym{IMAP} server. That way they don't have to
14915 download the mail they're not all that interested in.
14917 If you do want to do client-side mail splitting, then the following
14918 variables are relevant:
14922 This is the @acronym{IMAP} mail box that will be scanned for new mail.
14924 @item nnimap-split-methods
14925 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-methods} (@pxref{Splitting
14926 Mail}), except the symbol @code{default}, which means that it should
14927 use the value of the @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable.
14929 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14930 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14936 @section Getting Mail
14937 @cindex reading mail
14940 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
14944 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14945 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14946 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14947 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14948 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14949 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14950 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14951 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14952 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14953 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14954 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14955 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14956 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14960 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14961 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14963 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14964 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14965 of a culture shock.
14967 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14968 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14970 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14971 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14972 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14973 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14975 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14977 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14978 deleted? How awful!
14980 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14981 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14982 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14983 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14986 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14987 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14988 they want to treat a message.
14990 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14991 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14992 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14993 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14994 archived somewhere else.
14996 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14997 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14998 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14999 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
15000 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
15002 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
15003 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
15004 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
15006 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
15007 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
15010 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
15011 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
15012 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
15013 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
15014 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
15016 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
15017 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
15018 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
15019 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
15020 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
15021 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
15025 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
15026 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
15028 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
15029 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
15030 and things will happen automatically.
15032 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
15033 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15036 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15039 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
15040 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
15041 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
15042 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
15043 like any other group.
15045 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
15048 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15049 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15050 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
15054 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
15055 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
15056 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
15059 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
15060 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
15061 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
15064 @node Splitting Mail
15065 @subsection Splitting Mail
15066 @cindex splitting mail
15067 @cindex mail splitting
15068 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
15070 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
15071 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
15072 to be split into groups.
15075 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15076 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15077 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
15078 ("mail.other" "")))
15081 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
15082 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
15083 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
15084 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
15085 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
15086 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
15087 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
15090 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
15094 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
15095 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15097 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15098 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
15099 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
15100 mail belongs in that group.
15102 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
15103 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
15104 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
15105 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
15106 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
15107 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
15108 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
15109 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
15110 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
15111 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
15113 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
15114 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
15115 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
15116 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
15117 thinks should carry this mail message.
15119 This variable can also be a fancy split method. For the syntax,
15120 see @ref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15122 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
15123 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
15124 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
15125 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
15127 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
15128 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
15129 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
15130 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
15131 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
15133 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
15136 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
15137 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
15138 links. If that's the case for you, set
15139 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
15140 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
15142 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
15143 @findex nnmail-split-history
15144 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
15145 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
15146 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
15147 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
15150 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
15151 Header lines longer than the value of
15152 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
15155 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
15156 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
15157 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
15158 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
15159 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
15160 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
15161 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
15162 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
15163 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
15164 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
15165 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
15166 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
15168 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15169 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
15170 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
15171 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
15172 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
15173 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
15174 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
15175 other kinds of entries.)
15177 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
15178 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
15179 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
15180 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
15181 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
15182 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
15183 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
15184 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
15185 month's rent money.
15189 @subsection Mail Sources
15191 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
15192 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
15193 maildir, for instance.
15196 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
15197 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
15198 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
15202 @node Mail Source Specifiers
15203 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
15205 @cindex mail server
15208 @cindex mail source
15210 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
15211 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
15216 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
15219 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
15220 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
15221 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
15224 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
15225 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
15226 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
15227 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
15228 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
15229 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
15230 group might look like this:
15233 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
15236 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
15237 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
15239 The following mail source types are available:
15243 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
15249 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
15250 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
15251 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
15255 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15258 An example file mail source:
15261 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
15264 Or using the default file name:
15270 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
15271 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
15272 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
15273 mail spool while moving the mail.
15275 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
15279 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
15282 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
15286 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
15289 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
15291 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
15294 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
15295 file you want to use.
15299 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
15300 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
15301 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
15302 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
15303 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
15304 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
15305 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
15306 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
15307 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
15308 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
15310 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
15311 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
15312 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
15313 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
15319 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
15323 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
15327 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
15328 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
15329 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
15330 predicate are considered.
15334 Script run before/after fetching mail.
15338 An example directory mail source:
15341 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
15346 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15352 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
15353 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15356 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
15357 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
15358 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
15359 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
15360 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
15363 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
15367 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
15368 the user is prompted.
15371 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
15372 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
15375 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
15378 The valid format specifier characters are:
15382 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
15383 included in this string.
15386 The name of the server.
15389 The port number of the server.
15392 The user name to use.
15395 The password to use.
15398 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15399 corresponding keywords.
15402 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15403 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15406 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
15407 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
15410 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
15411 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
15412 mail should be moved to.
15414 @item :authentication
15415 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
15416 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
15421 @vindex pop3-movemail
15422 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
15423 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
15424 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
15425 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
15426 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
15427 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
15428 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
15429 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
15430 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
15432 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
15433 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
15434 name, and default fetcher:
15440 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
15443 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
15444 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
15447 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
15450 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
15454 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
15455 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
15456 contains exactly one mail.
15462 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
15463 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
15466 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
15467 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
15469 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
15470 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
15471 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
15474 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
15475 from locking problems).
15479 Two example maildir mail sources:
15482 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
15483 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
15487 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
15492 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
15493 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
15494 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
15495 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
15496 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{Using IMAP}, for more information.
15502 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
15503 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
15506 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
15507 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
15510 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
15514 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
15518 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
15519 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
15520 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
15521 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
15523 @item :authentication
15524 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
15525 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
15526 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
15527 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
15530 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
15531 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
15532 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
15538 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
15539 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
15540 specifier characters are:
15544 The name of the server.
15547 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
15550 The port number of the server.
15553 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
15554 corresponding keywords.
15557 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
15558 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
15561 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
15562 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
15563 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
15564 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
15565 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
15566 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
15569 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
15570 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
15571 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
15572 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
15575 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
15576 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
15580 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
15583 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
15585 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
15589 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
15590 @xref{Group Parameters}.
15595 @item Common Keywords
15596 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
15602 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
15603 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
15608 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
15613 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
15614 useful when you use local mail and news.
15619 @subsubsection Function Interface
15621 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
15622 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
15623 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
15624 consider the following mail-source setting:
15627 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
15628 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
15631 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
15632 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15633 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15634 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15635 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15637 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15640 @node Mail Source Customization
15641 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15643 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15644 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15648 @item mail-source-crash-box
15649 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15650 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15651 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15654 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15655 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15656 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15657 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15658 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15659 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15660 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15661 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15662 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15663 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15665 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15666 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15667 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15668 files. This variable only applies when
15669 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15671 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15672 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15673 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15675 @item mail-source-directory
15676 @vindex mail-source-directory
15677 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15678 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15679 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15680 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15682 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15683 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15684 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15685 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15686 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15687 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15690 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15691 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15692 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
15694 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15695 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15696 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15697 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15702 @node Fetching Mail
15703 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15705 @vindex mail-sources
15706 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15707 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15708 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15710 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15711 fetch mail by themselves.
15713 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15714 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15719 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15720 :password "secret")))
15723 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15727 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15728 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15731 :password "secret")))
15735 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15736 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15737 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15738 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15739 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15740 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15744 @node Mail Back End Variables
15745 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15747 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15751 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15752 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15753 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15754 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15756 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15757 @item nnmail-split-hook
15758 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15759 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15760 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15761 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15762 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15763 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15764 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15765 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15766 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15769 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15770 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15771 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15772 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15773 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15774 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15775 starting to handle the new mail) and
15776 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15777 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15778 default file modes the new mail files get:
15781 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15782 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
15784 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15785 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
15788 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15789 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15790 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15791 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15792 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15793 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15794 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15796 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15797 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15798 @findex delete-file
15799 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15801 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15802 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15803 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15804 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15805 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15807 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15808 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15809 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15810 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15811 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15813 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15814 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15815 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15820 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15821 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15822 @cindex mail splitting
15823 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15825 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15826 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15827 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15828 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15829 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15830 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15832 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15835 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15836 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15837 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15838 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15840 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15841 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15842 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15843 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15844 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15845 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15846 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15847 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15848 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15849 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15850 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15851 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15852 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15853 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15854 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15855 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15856 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15860 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15861 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15862 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15867 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15868 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15870 @c Don't fold this line.
15871 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15872 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15873 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15874 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15877 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15878 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15879 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15880 @var{split} is processed.
15882 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15883 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15884 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15885 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15887 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15888 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15889 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15890 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15891 stored in one or more groups.
15893 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15894 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15895 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15898 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15899 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15901 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15902 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15903 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15904 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15907 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15908 body of the messages:
15911 (defun split-on-body ()
15915 (goto-char (point-min))
15916 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15920 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15921 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15922 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15923 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15924 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15925 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15926 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
15928 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15929 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15930 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15931 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15932 should return a split.
15935 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15939 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15941 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15942 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15943 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15944 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15948 (any "joe" "joemail")
15952 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15953 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15954 of the following three ways:
15958 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15959 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15960 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15961 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15962 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15965 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15968 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15969 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15970 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15971 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15972 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15975 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15976 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15977 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15978 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15979 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15980 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15981 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15984 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15985 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15986 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15987 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15988 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
15989 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
15990 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
15994 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
15996 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
15997 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
15999 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
16002 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
16003 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
16004 when all this splitting is performed.
16006 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
16007 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
16008 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
16011 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
16014 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
16015 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
16017 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
16018 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
16019 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
16020 groupings 1 through 9.
16022 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
16023 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
16024 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
16025 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
16026 groups when users send to an address using different case
16027 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
16030 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
16031 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
16032 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
16033 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
16034 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
16035 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
16036 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
16037 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
16038 it once per thread.
16040 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
16041 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
16042 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
16043 using the colon feature, like so:
16045 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
16046 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
16048 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
16049 ;; @r{other splits go here}
16053 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
16054 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
16055 in the file specified by the variable
16056 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
16057 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
16058 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
16059 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
16060 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
16061 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
16062 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
16063 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
16064 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
16065 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
16066 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
16067 300 kBytes in size.)
16068 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
16069 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
16070 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
16071 messages goes into the new group.
16073 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
16074 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
16075 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
16076 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
16077 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
16078 ``outgoing'' group.
16081 @node Group Mail Splitting
16082 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
16083 @cindex mail splitting
16084 @cindex group mail splitting
16086 @findex gnus-group-split
16087 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
16088 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
16089 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
16090 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
16091 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
16092 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
16093 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
16094 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
16096 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
16097 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
16098 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
16099 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
16101 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
16102 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
16103 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
16104 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
16105 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
16106 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
16107 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
16109 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
16110 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
16111 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
16112 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
16113 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
16114 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
16115 @code{gnus-group-split}.
16117 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
16118 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
16119 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
16120 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
16121 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
16122 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
16123 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
16124 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
16125 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
16126 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
16127 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
16128 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
16129 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
16131 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
16136 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
16137 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
16139 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
16140 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
16141 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
16142 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
16144 ((split-spec . catch-all))
16147 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
16148 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
16149 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
16152 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
16153 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
16154 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
16158 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
16159 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
16160 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
16164 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
16167 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
16168 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
16169 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
16170 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
16171 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
16172 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
16173 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
16174 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
16175 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
16177 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
16178 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
16179 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
16180 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
16181 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
16182 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
16183 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
16184 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
16185 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
16187 @findex gnus-group-split-update
16188 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
16189 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
16190 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
16191 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
16192 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
16195 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
16198 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
16199 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
16200 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
16201 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
16202 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
16205 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
16206 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
16207 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
16208 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
16210 @node Incorporating Old Mail
16211 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
16212 @cindex incorporating old mail
16213 @cindex import old mail
16215 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
16216 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
16217 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
16220 Doing so can be quite easy.
16222 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
16223 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
16224 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
16225 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
16226 your @code{nnml} groups.
16232 Go to the group buffer.
16235 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
16236 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16239 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
16242 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
16243 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16246 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
16247 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
16250 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
16251 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
16252 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
16253 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
16254 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
16256 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
16257 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
16258 using the new mail back end.
16261 @node Expiring Mail
16262 @subsection Expiring Mail
16263 @cindex article expiry
16264 @cindex expiring mail
16266 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
16267 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
16268 different approach to mail reading.
16270 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
16271 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
16272 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
16273 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
16274 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
16275 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
16278 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
16279 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
16280 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
16281 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
16282 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
16283 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
16284 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
16285 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
16286 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
16288 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
16289 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
16290 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
16291 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
16292 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
16293 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
16294 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
16297 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
16298 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
16299 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
16300 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
16301 into its own group.)
16303 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
16304 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
16305 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
16306 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
16307 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
16308 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
16309 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
16310 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
16313 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16314 Groups that match the regular expression
16315 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
16316 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
16317 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
16319 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
16320 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
16321 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
16322 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
16323 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16325 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
16327 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
16328 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
16329 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
16332 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
16333 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
16334 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
16335 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
16336 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
16338 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
16339 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
16342 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
16343 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
16346 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
16347 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
16349 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
16350 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
16351 don't really mix very well.
16353 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
16354 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
16355 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
16356 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
16359 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
16360 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
16361 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
16362 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
16365 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16367 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16369 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
16371 ((string= group "mail.junk")
16373 ((string= group "important")
16379 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
16380 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
16382 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
16383 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
16384 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
16387 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
16388 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16390 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
16391 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
16392 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
16393 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
16394 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
16395 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
16396 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
16397 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
16398 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
16399 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
16400 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
16401 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
16402 name or @code{delete}.
16404 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
16406 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
16409 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16410 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16411 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
16412 expire mail to groups according to the variable
16413 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
16416 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
16417 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
16418 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
16419 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
16420 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
16423 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
16424 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
16425 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
16426 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
16427 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
16428 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
16430 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
16431 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
16432 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
16433 easier for procmail users.
16435 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
16436 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
16437 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
16438 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
16439 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
16440 caution. Even more dangerous is the
16441 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
16442 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
16443 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
16444 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
16445 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
16446 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
16447 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
16450 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
16452 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
16453 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
16454 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
16455 auto-expire turned on.
16457 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
16458 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
16459 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
16460 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
16461 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
16462 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
16463 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
16464 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
16465 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
16466 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
16467 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
16468 into auto-expire groups, you can set
16469 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
16470 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
16471 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
16472 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
16476 @subsection Washing Mail
16477 @cindex mail washing
16478 @cindex list server brain damage
16479 @cindex incoming mail treatment
16481 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
16482 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
16483 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
16484 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
16485 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
16486 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
16488 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
16489 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
16490 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
16493 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
16494 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
16495 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
16496 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
16499 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16500 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
16501 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
16502 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
16503 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
16506 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16507 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
16508 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
16509 Emacs running on MS machines.
16513 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16514 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
16515 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
16516 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
16519 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16520 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
16521 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
16522 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
16524 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
16525 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
16526 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
16527 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
16528 into a feature by documenting it.)
16530 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16531 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
16532 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
16533 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
16534 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
16535 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
16536 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
16539 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
16540 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
16543 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
16544 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
16547 This can also be done non-destructively with
16548 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
16550 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
16551 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
16552 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
16554 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16555 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
16556 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
16559 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
16560 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
16561 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
16562 contain a line matching the regular expression
16563 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
16567 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16568 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
16569 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
16573 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
16574 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
16575 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
16582 @subsection Duplicates
16584 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
16585 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
16586 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
16587 @cindex duplicate mails
16588 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
16589 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
16590 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
16591 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
16592 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
16593 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
16594 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
16595 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
16596 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
16597 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
16598 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
16599 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
16600 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
16602 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
16603 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
16604 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
16605 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
16607 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
16610 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
16611 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
16615 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
16616 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
16617 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
16618 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
16619 (any mail "mail.misc")
16620 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16626 (setq nnmail-split-methods
16627 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
16628 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16632 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16633 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16634 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16635 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16636 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16639 @node Not Reading Mail
16640 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16642 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16643 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16644 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16646 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16647 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16648 mail, which should help.
16650 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16651 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16652 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16653 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16654 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16655 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16656 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16657 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16658 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16659 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16660 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16662 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16663 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16667 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16668 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16670 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16671 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16672 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16674 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16675 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16676 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16680 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16681 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16682 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16683 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16684 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16685 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16686 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16691 @node Unix Mail Box
16692 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16694 @cindex unix mail box
16696 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16697 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16698 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16699 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16700 which group it belongs in.
16702 Virtual server settings:
16705 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16706 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16707 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16710 @item nnmbox-active-file
16711 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16712 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16713 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16715 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16716 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16717 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16718 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16723 @subsubsection Babyl
16726 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16727 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16728 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16729 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16730 group it belongs in.
16732 Virtual server settings:
16735 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16736 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16737 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16739 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16740 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16741 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16742 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16744 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16745 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16746 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16752 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16754 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16756 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16757 format. It should be used with some caution.
16759 @vindex nnml-directory
16760 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16761 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16762 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16763 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16765 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16768 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16769 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16770 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16771 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16772 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16773 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16774 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16775 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16777 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16778 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16779 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16780 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16782 @cindex self contained nnml servers
16784 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
16785 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16786 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16787 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
16788 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
16789 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
16790 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
16791 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
16794 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
16795 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
16796 them next time it starts.
16798 Virtual server settings:
16801 @item nnml-directory
16802 @vindex nnml-directory
16803 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16804 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16807 @item nnml-active-file
16808 @vindex nnml-active-file
16809 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16810 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16812 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16813 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16814 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16815 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16817 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16818 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16819 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16822 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16823 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16824 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16825 default is @code{nil}.
16827 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16828 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16829 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16831 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16832 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16833 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16835 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
16836 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
16837 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16838 default is @code{nil}.
16840 @item nnml-marks-file-name
16841 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
16842 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
16844 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16845 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16846 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16847 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16848 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16849 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16850 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16851 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16852 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16854 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16855 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16856 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16857 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16858 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16862 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16863 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16864 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16865 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16866 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16867 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16868 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16873 @subsubsection MH Spool
16875 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16877 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16878 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16879 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16880 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16883 Virtual server settings:
16886 @item nnmh-directory
16887 @vindex nnmh-directory
16888 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16889 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16892 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16893 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16894 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16898 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16899 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16900 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16901 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16902 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16903 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16904 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16909 @subsubsection Maildir
16913 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16914 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16915 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16916 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16917 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16920 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16921 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16922 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16923 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16924 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16925 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16926 that appear as group in Gnus.
16928 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16929 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16930 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16932 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16933 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16934 another, and you will keep your marks.
16936 Virtual server settings:
16940 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16941 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16942 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16943 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16944 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16945 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16946 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16947 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16948 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16949 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16951 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16952 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16953 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16954 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16955 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16956 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16957 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16958 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16959 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16960 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16963 @item target-prefix
16964 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16965 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16966 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16969 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16970 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16971 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16972 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16973 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16974 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16975 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16976 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16977 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16979 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16980 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16981 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16982 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16983 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16985 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16986 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16987 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16988 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
16989 @code{force} argument.
16991 @item directory-files
16992 This should be a function with the same interface as
16993 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
16994 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
16995 parameter is optional; the default is
16996 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
16997 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
16998 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
16999 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
17000 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
17001 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
17004 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
17005 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
17006 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
17007 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
17008 value is @code{nil}.
17010 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
17011 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
17012 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
17013 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
17014 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
17017 @subsubsection Group parameters
17019 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
17020 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
17021 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
17022 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
17023 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
17024 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
17027 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
17028 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
17029 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
17030 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
17031 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
17032 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
17033 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
17034 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
17035 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
17039 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
17040 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
17041 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
17042 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
17043 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
17044 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
17045 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
17046 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
17047 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
17048 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
17049 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
17050 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
17051 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
17054 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
17056 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
17058 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
17059 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
17060 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
17061 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
17062 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
17063 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
17064 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
17065 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
17066 article. So that form can refer to
17067 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
17068 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
17069 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
17070 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
17073 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
17074 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
17075 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
17076 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
17077 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
17078 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
17079 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
17080 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
17081 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
17082 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
17083 contain extra copies of the articles.
17085 @item directory-files
17086 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
17087 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
17088 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
17089 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
17091 @item distrust-Lines:
17092 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
17093 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
17094 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
17097 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
17098 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17099 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
17100 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
17101 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
17102 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17105 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
17106 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
17107 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
17108 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
17109 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
17110 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
17111 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
17113 @item nov-cache-size
17114 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
17115 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
17116 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
17117 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
17118 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
17119 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
17120 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
17121 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
17122 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
17123 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
17124 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
17127 @subsubsection Article identification
17128 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
17129 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
17130 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
17131 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
17132 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
17133 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
17134 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
17135 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
17136 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
17137 request the article in the summary buffer.
17139 @subsubsection NOV data
17140 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
17141 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
17142 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
17143 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
17144 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
17145 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
17146 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
17147 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
17148 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
17149 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
17150 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
17152 @subsubsection Article marks
17153 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
17154 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
17155 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17156 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
17157 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
17158 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
17159 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
17160 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
17162 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
17163 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
17164 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
17165 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
17166 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
17167 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
17168 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
17169 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
17170 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
17174 @subsubsection Mail Folders
17176 @cindex mbox folders
17177 @cindex mail folders
17179 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
17180 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
17181 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
17182 numbers and arrival dates.
17184 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
17186 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
17187 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
17188 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
17189 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
17190 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
17191 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
17192 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
17193 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
17194 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
17195 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
17197 Virtual server settings:
17200 @item nnfolder-directory
17201 @vindex nnfolder-directory
17202 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
17203 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
17204 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
17206 @item nnfolder-active-file
17207 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
17208 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
17210 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17211 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
17212 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
17213 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
17215 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
17216 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
17217 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
17218 default is @code{t}
17220 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17221 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
17222 @cindex backup files
17223 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
17224 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
17225 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
17226 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
17229 (defun turn-off-backup ()
17230 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
17232 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
17235 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17236 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
17237 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
17238 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
17239 extract some information from it before removing it.
17241 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17242 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
17243 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
17244 default is @code{nil}.
17246 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17247 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
17248 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
17250 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
17251 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
17252 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
17253 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17255 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17256 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
17257 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
17258 default is @code{nil}.
17260 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17261 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
17262 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
17264 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
17265 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
17266 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
17267 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
17272 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
17273 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
17274 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
17275 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
17276 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
17277 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
17280 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
17281 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
17283 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
17284 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
17285 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
17286 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
17287 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
17289 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
17290 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
17291 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
17292 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
17293 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
17294 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
17295 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
17296 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
17299 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
17300 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
17301 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
17302 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
17307 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
17308 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
17309 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
17310 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
17311 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
17312 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
17313 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
17314 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
17315 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
17316 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
17317 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
17318 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
17319 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
17324 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
17325 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
17326 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
17327 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
17328 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
17329 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
17330 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
17331 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
17332 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
17333 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
17334 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
17335 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
17336 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
17337 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
17338 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
17340 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
17341 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
17346 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
17347 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
17348 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
17349 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
17350 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
17351 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
17352 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
17353 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
17354 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
17355 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
17356 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
17357 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
17358 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
17359 provided by the active file and overviews.
17361 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
17362 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
17363 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
17364 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
17365 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
17368 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
17369 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
17374 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
17375 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
17376 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
17377 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
17378 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
17379 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
17380 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
17384 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
17385 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
17386 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
17387 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
17388 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
17389 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
17390 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
17391 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
17392 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
17394 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
17395 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
17396 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
17397 friendly mail back end all over.
17401 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
17402 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
17405 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
17406 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
17407 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
17408 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
17409 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}.
17410 (Use @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this
17411 slows you down or takes up very much space, a non-block-structured
17414 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
17415 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
17416 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
17417 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
17418 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
17419 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
17420 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
17421 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
17422 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
17423 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
17424 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
17426 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
17427 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
17428 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
17429 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
17430 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
17433 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
17434 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
17435 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
17436 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
17437 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
17438 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
17439 removed in the future.
17441 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
17442 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
17443 on your file system.
17445 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
17446 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
17451 @node Browsing the Web
17452 @section Browsing the Web
17454 @cindex browsing the web
17458 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
17459 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
17460 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
17461 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
17462 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
17463 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
17464 even know what a news group is.
17466 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
17467 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
17468 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
17469 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
17470 you mad in the end.
17472 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
17475 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
17476 interfaces to these sources.
17480 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
17481 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
17482 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
17485 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
17486 alternatives to work.
17488 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
17489 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
17490 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
17491 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
17492 though, you should be ok.
17494 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
17495 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
17496 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
17497 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
17498 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
17500 @node Archiving Mail
17501 @subsection Archiving Mail
17502 @cindex archiving mail
17503 @cindex backup of mail
17505 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
17506 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
17507 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
17508 marks is fairly simple.
17510 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
17511 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
17514 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
17515 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
17516 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
17517 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
17518 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
17519 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
17520 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
17521 before you restore the data.
17523 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
17524 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
17525 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
17526 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
17527 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
17528 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
17529 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
17530 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
17531 is unnecessary in that case.
17534 @subsection Web Searches
17539 @cindex Usenet searches
17540 @cindex searching the Usenet
17542 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
17543 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
17544 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
17545 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
17546 searches without having to use a browser.
17548 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
17549 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
17550 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
17551 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
17552 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
17554 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
17555 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
17556 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
17557 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
17558 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
17559 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
17560 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
17561 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
17562 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
17563 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
17566 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
17567 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
17568 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
17569 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
17570 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
17571 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
17573 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
17574 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
17575 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
17577 Virtual server variables:
17582 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
17583 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
17584 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
17587 @vindex nnweb-search
17588 The search string to feed to the search engine.
17590 @item nnweb-max-hits
17591 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
17592 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
17595 @item nnweb-type-definition
17596 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
17597 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
17598 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
17603 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
17607 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
17610 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
17613 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
17617 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
17628 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
17629 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
17630 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
17631 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
17632 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
17634 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
17635 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
17637 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
17638 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
17639 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
17642 @kindex G R (Group)
17643 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
17644 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
17645 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
17646 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
17648 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
17649 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
17650 subscribe to groups.
17652 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
17653 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
17654 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
17655 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
17656 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
17659 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
17660 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
17661 and a @samp{text/html} part.
17664 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
17665 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
17668 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
17669 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
17673 @defun nnrss-opml-export
17674 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
17675 @acronym{OPML} format.
17678 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17681 @item nnrss-directory
17682 @vindex nnrss-directory
17683 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17684 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17686 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17687 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17688 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17689 data files. The default is the value of
17690 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17691 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17693 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17694 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17695 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17696 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17697 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17698 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17699 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17700 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17702 @item nnrss-use-local
17703 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17704 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17705 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17706 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17707 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17708 download script using @command{wget}.
17711 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17712 the summary buffer.
17715 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17716 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17718 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17720 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17721 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17724 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17728 (require 'browse-url)
17730 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17732 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17735 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17736 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17739 (browse-url (cdr url))
17740 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17741 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17743 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17744 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17745 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17746 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17749 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17750 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17751 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17752 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17753 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17754 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17755 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17756 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17757 @code{nnrss} groups:
17760 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17761 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17763 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17764 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17765 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17767 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17770 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17774 @node Customizing W3
17775 @subsection Customizing W3
17781 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17782 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17783 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17786 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17787 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17788 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17791 (eval-after-load "w3"
17793 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17794 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17795 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17796 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17798 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17801 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17802 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17806 @node Other Sources
17807 @section Other Sources
17809 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17810 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17814 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17815 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17816 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17817 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17821 @node Directory Groups
17822 @subsection Directory Groups
17824 @cindex directory groups
17826 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17827 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17830 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17831 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17832 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17833 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17835 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17836 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17837 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17838 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17839 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17841 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17843 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17844 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17845 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17846 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17849 @node Anything Groups
17850 @subsection Anything Groups
17853 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17854 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17855 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17858 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17859 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17860 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17861 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17862 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17863 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17864 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17865 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17866 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17867 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17870 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17871 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17872 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17873 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17875 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17876 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17877 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17878 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17880 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17881 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17882 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17883 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17884 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17885 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17886 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17887 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17892 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17893 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17894 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17895 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17897 @item nneething-exclude-files
17898 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17899 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17900 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17902 @item nneething-include-files
17903 @vindex nneething-include-files
17904 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17905 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17907 @item nneething-map-file
17908 @vindex nneething-map-file
17909 Name of the map files.
17913 @node Document Groups
17914 @subsection Document Groups
17916 @cindex documentation group
17919 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17920 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17930 The standard Unix mbox file.
17932 @cindex MMDF mail box
17934 The MMDF mail box format.
17937 Several news articles appended into a file.
17939 @cindex rnews batch files
17941 The rnews batch transport format.
17944 Netscape mail boxes.
17947 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17949 @item standard-digest
17950 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17953 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17955 @item lanl-gov-announce
17956 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17958 @cindex git commit messages
17960 @code{git} commit messages.
17962 @cindex forwarded messages
17963 @item rfc822-forward
17964 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17967 The Outlook mail box.
17970 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17973 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17976 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17979 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17985 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17988 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17994 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17995 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17996 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17999 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
18000 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
18001 group. And that's it.
18003 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
18004 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
18005 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
18006 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
18007 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
18008 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
18009 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
18010 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
18011 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
18012 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
18014 Virtual server variables:
18017 @item nndoc-article-type
18018 @vindex nndoc-article-type
18019 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
18020 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
18021 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
18022 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
18023 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
18025 @item nndoc-post-type
18026 @vindex nndoc-post-type
18027 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
18028 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
18033 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
18037 @node Document Server Internals
18038 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
18040 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
18041 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
18042 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
18043 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
18045 First, here's an example document type definition:
18049 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
18050 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
18053 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
18054 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
18055 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
18056 types can be defined with very few settings:
18059 @item first-article
18060 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
18061 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
18064 @item article-begin
18065 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
18066 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
18067 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
18068 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
18070 @item article-begin-function
18071 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
18072 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
18075 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
18076 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
18077 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
18079 @item head-begin-function
18080 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
18081 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
18084 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
18085 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
18088 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
18089 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
18090 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
18092 @item body-begin-function
18093 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
18094 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
18097 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
18098 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
18099 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
18101 @item body-end-function
18102 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
18103 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
18106 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
18107 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
18110 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
18111 regexp will be totally ignored.
18115 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
18116 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
18117 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
18118 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
18119 something that's palatable for Gnus:
18122 @item prepare-body-function
18123 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
18124 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
18125 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
18127 @item article-transform-function
18128 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
18129 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
18130 body of the article.
18132 @item generate-head-function
18133 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
18134 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
18135 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
18136 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
18138 @item generate-article-function
18139 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
18140 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
18141 parameter when requesting all articles.
18143 @item dissection-function
18144 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
18145 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
18146 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
18147 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
18148 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
18149 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
18153 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
18158 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18159 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
18160 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
18161 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
18162 (head-end . "^ ?$")
18163 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
18164 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
18165 (subtype digest guess))
18168 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
18169 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
18170 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
18171 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
18172 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
18174 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
18175 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
18176 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
18177 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
18178 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
18179 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
18180 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
18181 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
18182 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
18183 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
18184 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
18185 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
18188 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
18189 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
18190 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
18193 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
18194 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
18195 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
18197 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
18203 @item nngateway-address
18204 @vindex nngateway-address
18205 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
18207 @item nngateway-header-transformation
18208 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
18209 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
18210 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
18211 transformation should be called, and defaults to
18212 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
18213 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
18216 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
18217 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
18218 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
18221 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
18224 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
18227 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
18230 The following pre-defined functions exist:
18232 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18235 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18236 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18237 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
18239 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18241 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18242 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18243 @code{nngateway-address}.
18251 (setq gnus-post-method
18253 "mail2news@@replay.com"
18254 (nngateway-header-transformation
18255 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
18258 So, to use this, simply say something like:
18261 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
18266 @node Combined Groups
18267 @section Combined Groups
18269 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
18273 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
18277 @node Virtual Groups
18278 @subsection Virtual Groups
18280 @cindex virtual groups
18281 @cindex merging groups
18283 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
18286 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
18287 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
18288 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
18290 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
18291 regexp to match component groups.
18293 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
18294 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
18295 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
18296 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
18297 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
18298 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
18299 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
18300 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
18302 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
18303 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
18306 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
18309 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
18310 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
18312 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
18313 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
18314 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
18315 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
18318 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
18321 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
18322 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
18323 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
18325 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
18326 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
18327 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
18328 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
18329 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
18331 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
18332 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
18333 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
18335 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
18336 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
18337 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
18338 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
18339 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
18340 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
18341 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
18342 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
18343 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
18344 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
18345 it---it'll have much the same effect.
18347 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
18348 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
18349 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
18350 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
18351 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
18352 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
18353 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
18355 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
18356 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
18358 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
18359 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
18363 @node Email Based Diary
18364 @section Email Based Diary
18366 @cindex email based diary
18369 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
18370 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
18371 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
18372 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
18373 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
18374 namely, as event reminders.
18376 Here is a typical scenario:
18380 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
18381 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
18383 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
18385 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
18387 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
18388 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
18389 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
18391 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
18392 of the night you're gonna have.
18394 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
18395 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
18398 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
18399 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
18400 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
18401 explained in the sections below.
18404 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
18405 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
18406 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
18410 @node The NNDiary Back End
18411 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
18413 @cindex the nndiary back end
18415 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
18416 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
18417 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
18418 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
18419 directory per group.
18421 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
18422 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
18423 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
18424 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
18427 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
18428 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
18429 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
18432 @node Diary Messages
18433 @subsubsection Diary Messages
18434 @cindex nndiary messages
18435 @cindex nndiary mails
18437 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
18438 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
18439 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
18440 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
18441 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
18442 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
18443 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
18447 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
18448 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
18449 (separated by a comma).
18451 A field is either an integer, or a range.
18453 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
18455 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
18456 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
18457 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
18459 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
18460 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
18461 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
18463 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
18464 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
18465 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
18466 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
18467 list of available time zone values, see the variable
18468 @code{nndiary-headers}.
18471 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
18472 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
18473 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
18478 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
18481 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
18483 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
18486 @node Running NNDiary
18487 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
18488 @cindex running nndiary
18489 @cindex nndiary operation modes
18491 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
18492 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
18493 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
18494 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
18495 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
18496 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
18498 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
18499 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
18500 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
18501 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
18502 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
18503 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
18504 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
18507 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
18512 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
18513 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
18516 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
18519 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
18520 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
18521 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
18522 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
18523 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
18525 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
18526 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
18535 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
18536 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
18538 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
18539 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18540 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
18541 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
18544 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
18545 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18546 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
18549 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
18550 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
18551 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
18553 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
18554 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
18555 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
18556 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
18557 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
18559 @node Customizing NNDiary
18560 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
18561 @cindex customizing nndiary
18562 @cindex nndiary customization
18564 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
18565 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
18566 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
18567 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
18569 @defvar nndiary-reminders
18570 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
18571 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
18572 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
18573 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
18577 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
18578 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
18583 @node The Gnus Diary Library
18584 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
18586 @cindex the gnus diary library
18588 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18589 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18590 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18591 useful things for you.
18593 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
18596 (require 'gnus-diary)
18599 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18600 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18601 (sorry if you used them before).
18605 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18606 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18607 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18608 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18611 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18612 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18613 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18614 @cindex diary summary line format
18616 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18617 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18618 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18619 see the event's date.
18621 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18622 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18623 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18624 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18625 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18627 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18628 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18629 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18632 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18635 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18636 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18639 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18642 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18643 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18644 with the following user options:
18646 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18647 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18648 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18649 diary groups'parameters.
18652 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18653 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18654 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18657 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18658 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18659 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18660 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18661 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18664 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18665 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18666 @cindex diary articles sorting
18667 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18668 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18669 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18670 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18672 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18673 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18674 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18675 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18676 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18678 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18679 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18680 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18681 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18684 @node Diary Headers Generation
18685 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18686 @cindex diary headers generation
18687 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18689 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18690 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18691 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18692 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18695 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18696 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18697 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
18698 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
18699 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
18701 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18702 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18703 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18706 @node Diary Group Parameters
18707 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18708 @cindex diary group parameters
18710 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18711 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18712 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18713 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18714 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18715 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18716 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18717 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18719 @node Sending or Not Sending
18720 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18722 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
18723 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18727 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18728 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18729 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18730 sending the diary message to them as well.
18732 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18733 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18734 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18735 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18738 @node Gnus Unplugged
18739 @section Gnus Unplugged
18744 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18746 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18747 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18748 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18749 read news. Believe it or not.
18751 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18752 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18753 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18754 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18755 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18757 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18758 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18759 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18760 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18761 reading news on a machine.
18763 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18764 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18765 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18767 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18770 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18771 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18772 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18773 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18774 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18775 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18776 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18777 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18778 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18779 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18780 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18781 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18782 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18783 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18788 @subsection Agent Basics
18790 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18792 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18793 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18794 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18795 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18797 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18798 connected to the net continuously.
18800 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18801 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18803 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18804 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18805 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18806 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18807 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18809 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18810 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18811 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18812 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18813 they're kinda like plugged always).
18815 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18816 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18817 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18820 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18821 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18822 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18823 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18824 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18826 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18831 @findex gnus-unplugged
18832 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18833 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18834 already fetched while in this mode.
18837 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18838 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18839 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18840 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18841 Source Specifiers}).
18844 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18845 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18846 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18847 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18848 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18851 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18852 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18853 then you read the news offline.
18856 And then you go to step 2.
18859 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18865 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18866 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18867 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18868 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18869 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18870 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18871 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18872 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18875 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18876 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18877 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18878 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18880 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18881 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18882 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18883 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18884 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18885 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18889 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18893 @node Agent Categories
18894 @subsection Agent Categories
18896 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18897 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18898 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18899 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18900 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18901 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18902 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18904 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18905 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18906 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18907 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18908 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18910 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18911 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18912 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18913 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18914 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18917 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18918 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18919 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18920 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18921 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18922 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18926 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18927 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18928 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18932 @node Category Syntax
18933 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18935 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18936 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18937 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18940 @cindex Agent Parameters
18943 The list of groups that are in this category.
18945 @item agent-predicate
18946 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18947 are eligible for downloading; and
18950 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18951 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18952 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18954 @item agent-enable-expiration
18955 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18956 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18957 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18958 only groups that should not be expired.
18960 @item agent-days-until-old
18961 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18962 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18964 @item agent-low-score
18965 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18967 @item agent-high-score
18968 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18970 @item agent-short-article
18971 an integer that overrides the value of
18972 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18974 @item agent-long-article
18975 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18977 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18978 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18979 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18980 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18981 undownloaded faces.
18984 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18987 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18988 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18989 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18992 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18993 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18994 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18995 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18997 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18998 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18999 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
19001 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
19002 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
19003 operators sprinkled in between.
19005 Perhaps some examples are in order.
19007 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
19008 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
19014 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
19015 short (for some value of ``short'').
19017 Here's a more complex predicate:
19026 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
19027 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
19030 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
19031 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
19032 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
19034 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
19035 you want to do, you can write your own.
19037 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
19038 bound to the value determined by calling
19039 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
19040 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
19041 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
19042 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
19043 predicate to individual groups.
19047 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
19048 lines; default 100.
19051 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
19052 lines; default 200.
19055 True if the article has a download score less than
19056 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
19059 True if the article has a download score greater than
19060 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
19063 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
19064 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
19065 checksum and sees whether articles match.
19074 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
19075 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
19076 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
19079 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
19080 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
19081 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
19082 something along the lines of the following:
19085 (defun my-article-old-p ()
19086 "Say whether an article is old."
19087 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
19088 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
19091 with the predicate then defined as:
19094 (not my-article-old-p)
19097 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
19098 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
19102 (require 'gnus-agent)
19103 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
19104 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
19105 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
19108 and simply specify your predicate as:
19114 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
19115 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
19116 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
19117 just don't give a damn.
19119 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
19120 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
19121 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
19122 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
19123 parameters like so:
19126 (agent-predicate . short)
19129 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
19130 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
19131 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
19133 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
19136 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
19139 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
19140 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
19141 predicate is assumed to be a list.
19144 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
19145 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
19146 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
19147 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
19148 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
19149 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
19151 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
19152 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
19153 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
19154 if it's to be specific to that group.
19156 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
19163 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
19164 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
19170 Category specification
19174 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19180 Group/Topic Parameter specification
19183 (agent-score ("from"
19184 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19189 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
19195 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
19196 keywords stated above.
19202 Category specification
19205 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
19211 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
19215 Group Parameter specification
19218 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
19221 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
19226 Use @code{normal} score files
19228 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
19229 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
19230 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
19231 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
19233 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
19234 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
19235 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
19236 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
19240 Category Specification
19247 Group Parameter specification
19250 (agent-score . file)
19255 @node Category Buffer
19256 @subsubsection Category Buffer
19258 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
19259 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
19260 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
19262 The following commands are available in this buffer:
19266 @kindex q (Category)
19267 @findex gnus-category-exit
19268 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
19271 @kindex e (Category)
19272 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
19273 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
19274 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
19277 @kindex k (Category)
19278 @findex gnus-category-kill
19279 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
19282 @kindex c (Category)
19283 @findex gnus-category-copy
19284 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
19287 @kindex a (Category)
19288 @findex gnus-category-add
19289 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
19292 @kindex p (Category)
19293 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
19294 Edit the predicate of the current category
19295 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
19298 @kindex g (Category)
19299 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
19300 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
19301 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
19304 @kindex s (Category)
19305 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
19306 Edit the download score rule of the current category
19307 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
19310 @kindex l (Category)
19311 @findex gnus-category-list
19312 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
19316 @node Category Variables
19317 @subsubsection Category Variables
19320 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
19321 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
19322 Hook run in category buffers.
19324 @item gnus-category-line-format
19325 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
19326 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
19327 Variables}). Valid elements are:
19331 The name of the category.
19334 The number of groups in the category.
19337 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
19338 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
19339 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
19341 @item gnus-agent-short-article
19342 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
19343 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
19345 @item gnus-agent-long-article
19346 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
19347 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
19349 @item gnus-agent-low-score
19350 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
19351 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
19354 @item gnus-agent-high-score
19355 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
19356 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
19359 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
19360 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19361 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
19362 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
19363 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
19364 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
19365 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
19366 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
19370 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19371 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19372 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
19373 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
19374 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
19375 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
19376 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
19381 @node Agent Commands
19382 @subsection Agent Commands
19383 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
19384 @kindex J j (Agent)
19386 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
19387 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
19388 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
19392 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
19393 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
19394 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
19400 @node Group Agent Commands
19401 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
19405 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
19406 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
19407 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
19408 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
19411 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
19412 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
19413 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
19416 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
19417 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
19418 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
19419 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
19422 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
19423 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
19424 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
19425 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
19428 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
19429 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
19430 Add the current group to an Agent category
19431 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
19432 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19435 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
19436 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
19437 Remove the current group from its category, if any
19438 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
19439 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19442 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
19443 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19444 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
19450 @node Summary Agent Commands
19451 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
19455 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
19456 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
19457 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
19460 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
19461 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
19462 Remove the downloading mark from the article
19463 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
19467 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
19468 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
19469 Toggle whether to download the article
19470 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
19474 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
19475 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
19476 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
19479 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
19480 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
19481 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
19482 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
19485 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
19486 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
19487 Download all processable articles in this group.
19488 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
19491 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
19492 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
19493 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
19494 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
19499 @node Server Agent Commands
19500 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
19504 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
19505 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
19506 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
19507 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
19510 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
19511 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
19512 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
19513 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
19518 @node Agent Visuals
19519 @subsection Agent Visuals
19521 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
19522 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
19523 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
19524 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
19525 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
19526 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
19527 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
19528 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
19529 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
19530 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
19532 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
19533 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
19534 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
19535 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
19536 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
19537 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
19538 the download status of each article so that you always know which
19539 articles will be available when unplugged.
19541 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
19542 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
19543 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
19544 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
19545 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
19546 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
19547 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
19548 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
19550 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
19551 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
19552 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
19553 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
19554 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
19555 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
19556 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
19557 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
19558 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
19560 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
19561 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
19562 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
19563 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
19564 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
19565 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
19566 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
19567 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
19568 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
19569 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
19571 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
19572 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
19573 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
19574 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
19575 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
19576 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19578 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
19579 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
19580 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
19581 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
19582 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
19583 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
19584 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
19585 expiring'' articles.
19587 @node Agent as Cache
19588 @subsection Agent as Cache
19590 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19591 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19592 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19593 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19594 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19595 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19596 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19597 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19598 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19600 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19601 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19602 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19603 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19604 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19607 @subsection Agent Expiry
19609 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19610 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19611 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19612 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19613 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19614 @cindex agent expiry
19615 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19616 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
19618 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19619 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19620 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19621 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19622 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19623 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19624 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19625 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19627 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19628 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19629 synchronized with the group.
19631 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19632 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19634 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19635 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19636 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19637 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19638 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19639 be kept indefinitely.
19641 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19642 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19643 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19644 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19646 @node Agent Regeneration
19647 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19649 @cindex agent regeneration
19650 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19651 @cindex regeneration
19653 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19654 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19655 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19656 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19657 internal inconsistencies.
19659 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19660 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19661 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19662 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19663 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19664 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19666 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19667 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19668 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19669 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19670 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19671 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19673 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19674 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19675 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19676 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19677 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19678 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19681 @node Agent and flags
19682 @subsection Agent and flags
19684 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19685 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19686 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19687 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19688 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19689 to the flags in its own files.
19691 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19692 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19693 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19695 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19696 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19697 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19698 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19699 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19700 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19702 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19703 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19704 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19705 in the group buffer.
19707 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19708 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19709 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19710 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19711 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19712 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19713 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19714 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19716 @node Agent and IMAP
19717 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19719 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19720 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19721 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19722 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19724 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19725 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19730 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19733 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19737 @node Outgoing Messages
19738 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19740 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19741 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19742 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19744 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19745 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19746 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19748 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19749 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19750 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19751 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19754 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19755 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19756 ask you to confirm your action (see
19757 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19759 @node Agent Variables
19760 @subsection Agent Variables
19765 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19766 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19767 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19768 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19770 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19771 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19774 @item gnus-agent-directory
19775 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19776 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19777 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19779 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19780 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19781 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19782 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19783 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19786 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19787 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19788 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19790 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19791 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19792 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19794 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19795 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19796 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19798 @item gnus-agent-cache
19799 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19800 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19801 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19802 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19804 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19805 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19806 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19807 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19808 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19809 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19810 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19813 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19814 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19815 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19816 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19817 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19818 read. The default is @code{t}.
19820 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19821 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19822 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19823 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19824 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19825 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19826 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19828 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19829 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19830 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19831 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19832 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19833 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19834 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19835 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19836 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19837 over and over again.
19839 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19840 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19841 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19842 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19843 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19844 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19845 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19846 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19847 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19848 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19849 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19850 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19853 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19854 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19855 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19856 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19857 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19858 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19859 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19860 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19861 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19863 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19864 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19865 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19866 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19867 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19868 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19870 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19871 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19872 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19873 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19874 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19876 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19877 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19878 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19879 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19880 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19881 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19883 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19884 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19885 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19886 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19887 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19889 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19890 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19891 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19892 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19893 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19894 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19895 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19896 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19897 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19898 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19899 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19904 @node Example Setup
19905 @subsection Example Setup
19907 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19908 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19909 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19912 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19913 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19914 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19916 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19917 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19918 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19920 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19921 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19923 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19924 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19925 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19928 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19929 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19932 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19933 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19934 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19935 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19936 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19939 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19940 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19941 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19942 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19943 back all the killed groups.)
19945 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19946 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19947 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19950 @node Batching Agents
19951 @subsection Batching Agents
19952 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19954 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19955 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19956 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19958 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19959 following incantation:
19963 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19967 @node Agent Caveats
19968 @subsection Agent Caveats
19970 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19971 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19975 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19977 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19978 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19979 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19981 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19982 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19984 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19988 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19989 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19990 locally stored articles.
19997 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19998 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19999 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
20002 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
20003 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
20004 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
20005 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
20006 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
20008 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
20009 before generating the summary buffer.
20011 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
20012 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
20013 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
20015 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
20016 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
20017 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
20018 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
20021 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
20022 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
20023 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
20024 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
20025 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
20026 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
20027 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
20028 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
20029 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
20030 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
20031 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
20032 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
20033 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
20034 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
20035 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
20036 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
20040 @node Summary Score Commands
20041 @section Summary Score Commands
20042 @cindex score commands
20044 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
20045 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
20046 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
20047 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
20048 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
20050 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
20051 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
20052 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
20053 score file the current one.
20055 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
20060 @kindex V s (Summary)
20061 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
20062 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
20065 @kindex V S (Summary)
20066 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
20067 Display the score of the current article
20068 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
20071 @kindex V t (Summary)
20072 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
20073 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
20074 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
20075 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
20076 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
20077 score file and edit it.
20080 @kindex V w (Summary)
20081 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
20082 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
20085 @kindex V R (Summary)
20086 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
20087 Run the current summary through the scoring process
20088 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
20089 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
20090 effect you're having.
20093 @kindex V c (Summary)
20094 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
20095 Make a different score file the current
20096 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
20099 @kindex V e (Summary)
20100 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
20101 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
20102 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
20106 @kindex V f (Summary)
20107 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
20108 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
20109 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
20112 @kindex V F (Summary)
20113 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20114 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
20115 after editing score files.
20118 @kindex V C (Summary)
20119 @findex gnus-score-customize
20120 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
20121 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
20125 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
20130 @kindex V m (Summary)
20131 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
20132 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
20133 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
20136 @kindex V x (Summary)
20137 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
20138 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
20139 expunge all articles below this score
20140 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
20143 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
20144 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
20147 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
20148 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
20152 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
20153 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
20155 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
20156 keys are available:
20160 Score on the author name.
20163 Score on the subject line.
20166 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
20169 Score on the @code{References} line.
20175 Score on the number of lines.
20178 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
20181 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
20182 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
20185 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
20186 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
20187 @file{ADAPT} files.)
20196 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
20202 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
20203 what headers you are scoring on.
20215 Substring matching.
20218 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
20247 Greater than number.
20252 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
20253 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
20254 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
20259 Temporary score entry.
20262 Permanent score entry.
20265 Immediately scoring.
20269 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
20270 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
20271 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
20275 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
20276 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
20277 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
20278 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
20280 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
20281 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
20282 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
20283 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
20284 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
20286 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
20287 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
20288 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
20289 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
20290 current score file.
20292 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
20293 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
20294 pretend they are keymaps or not.
20297 @node Group Score Commands
20298 @section Group Score Commands
20299 @cindex group score commands
20301 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
20306 @kindex W e (Group)
20307 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
20308 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
20309 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
20312 @kindex W f (Group)
20313 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20314 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
20315 all the time. This command will flush the cache
20316 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
20320 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
20322 @findex gnus-batch-score
20323 @cindex batch scoring
20325 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
20329 @node Score Variables
20330 @section Score Variables
20331 @cindex score variables
20335 @item gnus-use-scoring
20336 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
20337 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
20338 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
20340 @item gnus-kill-killed
20341 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
20342 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
20343 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
20344 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
20345 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
20346 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
20347 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
20349 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
20350 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
20351 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
20352 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
20353 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
20355 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
20356 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
20357 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
20358 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
20360 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20361 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20362 @cindex score cache
20363 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
20364 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
20365 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
20366 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
20367 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
20368 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
20369 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
20372 @item gnus-save-score
20373 @vindex gnus-save-score
20374 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
20375 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
20376 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20378 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
20379 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
20380 across group visits.
20382 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20383 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20384 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
20385 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
20386 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
20387 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
20388 manually entered data.
20390 @item gnus-summary-default-score
20391 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
20392 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
20394 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
20395 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
20396 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
20397 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
20398 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
20399 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
20401 @item gnus-score-over-mark
20402 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
20403 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
20404 default. Default is @samp{+}.
20406 @item gnus-score-below-mark
20407 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
20408 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
20409 default. Default is @samp{-}.
20411 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20412 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20413 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
20414 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
20416 Predefined functions available are:
20419 @item gnus-score-find-single
20420 @findex gnus-score-find-single
20421 Only apply the group's own score file.
20423 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
20424 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
20425 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
20426 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
20427 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
20428 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
20429 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
20430 then a regexp match is done.
20432 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
20433 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
20435 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
20436 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
20437 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
20438 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
20440 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20441 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20442 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
20443 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
20444 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
20448 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
20449 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
20450 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
20451 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
20452 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
20453 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
20454 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
20457 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
20458 overall score file, you could use the value
20460 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
20461 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
20464 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
20465 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
20466 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
20467 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
20468 are expired. It's 7 by default.
20470 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20471 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20472 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
20473 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
20474 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
20475 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
20476 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
20477 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
20479 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20480 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20481 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
20483 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
20484 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
20485 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
20486 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
20487 threading---according to the current value of
20488 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
20489 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
20490 simplified in this manner.
20495 @node Score File Format
20496 @section Score File Format
20497 @cindex score file format
20499 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
20500 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
20501 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
20503 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
20507 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
20509 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
20511 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
20513 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
20518 (mark-and-expunge -10)
20522 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
20523 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
20524 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
20525 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
20529 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
20530 Scoring}, for a different approach.
20532 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
20533 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
20534 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
20536 Six keys are supported by this alist:
20541 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
20542 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
20543 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
20544 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
20545 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
20546 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
20547 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
20548 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
20549 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
20550 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
20551 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
20552 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
20553 to articles that matches these score entries.
20555 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
20556 score entry has one to four elements.
20560 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
20561 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
20565 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
20566 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
20567 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
20568 is successful. If this element is not present, the
20569 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
20570 instead. This is 1000 by default.
20573 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
20574 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
20575 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
20576 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
20577 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
20580 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
20581 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
20582 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
20583 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
20586 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
20587 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
20588 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
20589 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
20590 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20591 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20592 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20593 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20594 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20595 instead, if you feel like.
20598 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20599 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20600 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20601 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20602 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20603 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20607 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20608 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20612 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20613 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20615 These predicates are true if
20618 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20621 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20622 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20629 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20630 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20631 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20632 it's not. I think.)
20634 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20635 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20636 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20637 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20640 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20641 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20642 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20643 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20644 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20645 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20646 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20650 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20651 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20652 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20653 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20654 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20655 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20656 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20657 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20660 @item Head, Body, All
20661 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20665 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20666 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20667 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20668 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20669 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20670 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20671 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20675 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20676 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20677 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20678 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20679 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20680 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20681 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20682 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20683 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20684 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20685 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20689 @cindex score file atoms
20691 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20692 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20695 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20696 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20698 @item mark-and-expunge
20699 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20700 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20703 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20704 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20705 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20706 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20707 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20710 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20711 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20714 @item exclude-files
20715 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20716 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20720 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
20721 ignored when handling global score files.
20724 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20725 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20726 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20727 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20730 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20731 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20732 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20733 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20735 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20739 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20742 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20743 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20744 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
20745 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20746 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20748 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20749 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20750 scoring rules exist.
20753 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20754 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20755 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20756 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20757 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20758 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20759 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20760 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20761 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20762 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20763 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20767 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20768 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20769 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20770 file for a number of groups.
20773 @cindex local variables
20774 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20775 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20776 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20777 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20778 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20783 @node Score File Editing
20784 @section Score File Editing
20786 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20787 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20788 with a mode for that.
20790 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20791 additional commands:
20796 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20797 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
20798 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20799 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
20802 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20803 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20804 Insert the current date in numerical format
20805 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20806 you were wondering.
20809 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20810 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20811 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20812 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20813 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20818 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20820 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20821 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20823 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20824 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20827 @node Adaptive Scoring
20828 @section Adaptive Scoring
20829 @cindex adaptive scoring
20831 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20832 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20833 stupidity, to be precise.
20835 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20836 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20837 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20838 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20839 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20840 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20841 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20842 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20843 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20845 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20846 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20847 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20848 might look something like this:
20851 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20852 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20853 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20854 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20855 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20856 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20857 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20858 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20859 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20860 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20861 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20862 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20865 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20866 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20867 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20868 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20869 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20870 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20873 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20874 will be applied to each article.
20876 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20877 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20878 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20879 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20881 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20882 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20883 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20884 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20886 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20887 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20888 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20889 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20891 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20892 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20893 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20894 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20895 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20896 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20898 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20899 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20900 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20902 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20903 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20904 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20906 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20907 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20908 let you use different rules in different groups.
20910 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20911 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20912 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20915 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20916 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20917 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20918 default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20920 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20921 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20922 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20923 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20924 the length of the match is less than
20925 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20926 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20929 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20930 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20931 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20932 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20933 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20936 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20937 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20938 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20939 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20940 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20943 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20944 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20945 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20946 score with 30 points.
20948 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20949 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20950 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20951 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20952 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20954 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20955 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20956 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20957 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20958 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20960 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20961 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20962 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20963 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20965 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20966 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20967 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20968 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20970 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20971 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20972 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20973 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20974 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20976 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20977 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20978 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20980 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20981 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20982 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20983 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20986 @node Home Score File
20987 @section Home Score File
20989 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20990 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20991 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20992 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20994 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20995 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20996 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20998 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20999 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
21004 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
21008 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
21009 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
21013 A list. The elements in this list can be:
21017 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
21018 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
21021 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
21022 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
21023 name of the group as the parameter.
21026 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
21029 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
21034 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
21037 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21038 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
21041 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
21042 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
21044 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
21046 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21047 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
21050 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
21051 Other functions include
21054 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
21055 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
21056 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
21057 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
21061 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
21062 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
21063 their own home score files:
21066 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21067 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
21068 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
21069 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
21070 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
21073 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
21074 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
21075 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
21076 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
21077 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
21079 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
21080 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
21081 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
21082 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
21083 precedence over this variable.
21086 @node Followups To Yourself
21087 @section Followups To Yourself
21089 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
21090 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
21091 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
21092 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
21093 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
21094 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
21098 @item gnus-score-followup-article
21099 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
21100 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
21103 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
21104 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
21105 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
21109 @vindex message-sent-hook
21110 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
21111 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
21113 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
21117 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
21118 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
21122 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21123 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21126 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
21127 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
21132 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
21136 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
21137 is system-dependent.
21140 @node Scoring On Other Headers
21141 @section Scoring On Other Headers
21142 @cindex scoring on other headers
21144 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
21145 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
21146 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
21147 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
21148 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
21150 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
21151 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
21152 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
21153 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
21154 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
21155 inhibited for all groups.
21157 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
21158 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
21159 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
21160 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
21161 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
21163 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21166 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
21167 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
21170 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
21171 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
21172 time if you have much mail.
21174 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
21175 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
21181 @section Scoring Tips
21182 @cindex scoring tips
21188 @cindex scoring crossposts
21189 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
21190 the @code{Xref} header.
21192 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
21195 @item Multiple crossposts
21196 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
21197 more than, say, 3 groups:
21200 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
21204 @item Matching on the body
21205 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
21206 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
21207 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
21208 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
21209 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
21210 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
21211 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
21214 @item Marking as read
21215 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
21216 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
21217 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
21221 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
21223 @item Negated character classes
21224 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
21225 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
21226 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
21230 @node Reverse Scoring
21231 @section Reverse Scoring
21232 @cindex reverse scoring
21234 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
21235 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
21236 like this in your score file:
21240 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
21245 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
21246 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
21249 @node Global Score Files
21250 @section Global Score Files
21251 @cindex global score files
21253 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
21254 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
21255 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
21257 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
21258 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
21259 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
21261 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
21262 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
21263 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
21264 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
21265 files are applicable to which group.
21267 To use the score file
21268 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
21269 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
21273 (setq gnus-global-score-files
21274 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
21275 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
21278 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
21280 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
21281 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
21282 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
21283 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
21285 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
21286 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
21288 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
21289 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
21290 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
21291 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
21292 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
21293 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
21295 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
21301 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
21303 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
21305 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
21307 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
21308 lowered out of existence.
21310 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
21311 articles completely.
21314 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
21315 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
21316 old articles for a long time.
21319 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
21320 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
21321 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
21322 holding our breath yet?
21326 @section Kill Files
21329 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
21330 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
21331 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
21333 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
21334 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
21335 files into score files.
21337 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
21338 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
21339 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
21340 that isn't a very good idea.
21342 Normal kill files look like this:
21345 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21346 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
21350 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
21351 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
21353 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
21354 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
21357 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
21362 @kindex M-k (Summary)
21363 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
21364 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
21367 @kindex M-K (Summary)
21368 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
21369 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
21372 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
21377 @kindex M-k (Group)
21378 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
21379 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
21382 @kindex M-K (Group)
21383 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
21384 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
21387 Kill file variables:
21390 @item gnus-kill-file-name
21391 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
21392 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
21393 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
21394 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
21395 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
21396 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
21398 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21399 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21400 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
21401 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
21404 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
21405 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
21406 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
21407 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
21408 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
21409 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
21410 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
21411 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
21412 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
21414 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21415 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21416 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
21421 @node Converting Kill Files
21422 @section Converting Kill Files
21424 @cindex converting kill files
21426 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
21427 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
21428 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
21431 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
21432 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
21434 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
21436 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
21437 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
21438 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
21442 @node Advanced Scoring
21443 @section Advanced Scoring
21445 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
21446 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
21447 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
21448 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
21449 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
21451 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
21455 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
21456 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
21457 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
21461 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
21462 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
21464 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
21465 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
21466 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
21467 non-@code{nil} value.
21469 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
21470 operator, and various match operators.
21477 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21478 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
21479 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
21484 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21485 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
21486 then this operator will return @code{false}.
21491 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
21492 logical negation of the value of its argument.
21496 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
21497 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
21498 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
21499 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
21500 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
21501 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
21502 the ancestry you want to go.
21504 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
21505 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
21506 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
21507 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
21508 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
21511 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
21512 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
21514 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
21515 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
21518 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
21519 when he's talking about Gnus:
21524 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21525 ("subject" "Gnus"))
21532 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
21536 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21543 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
21544 really don't want to read what he's written:
21548 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21549 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
21553 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
21554 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
21555 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
21562 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
21563 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
21564 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
21565 ("body" "white.*socks"))
21569 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
21570 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
21571 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
21572 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
21575 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21577 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21581 The possibilities are endless.
21583 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
21584 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
21586 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
21587 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
21588 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
21589 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
21590 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
21591 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
21592 @samp{subject}) first.
21594 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
21595 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21606 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21607 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21613 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21620 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21621 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21626 @section Score Decays
21627 @cindex score decays
21630 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21631 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21632 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21633 use them in any sensible way.
21635 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21636 @findex gnus-decay-score
21637 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21638 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21639 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21640 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21641 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21642 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21643 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21644 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21645 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21646 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21650 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21651 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21652 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21654 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21656 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21658 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21659 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21660 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21661 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21662 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21664 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21668 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21669 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21670 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21671 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21675 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21678 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21681 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21685 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21686 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21687 the new score, which should be an integer.
21689 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21690 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21695 @include message.texi
21696 @chapter Emacs MIME
21697 @include emacs-mime.texi
21699 @include sieve.texi
21711 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21712 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21713 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21714 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21715 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21716 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21717 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21718 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21719 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21720 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21721 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21722 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21723 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21724 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21725 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21726 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21727 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
21728 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
21729 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
21730 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21731 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21735 @node Process/Prefix
21736 @section Process/Prefix
21737 @cindex process/prefix convention
21739 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21740 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21742 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21743 command to be performed on.
21747 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21748 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21749 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21750 with the current one.
21752 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21753 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21754 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21756 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21757 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21760 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21761 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21763 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21766 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21767 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21768 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21769 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21771 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21772 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21773 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21774 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21775 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21776 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21777 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21778 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21780 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21781 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21782 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21783 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21784 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21788 @section Interactive
21789 @cindex interaction
21793 @item gnus-novice-user
21794 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21795 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21796 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21797 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21798 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21801 @item gnus-expert-user
21802 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21803 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21804 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
21805 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
21806 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
21807 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
21810 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21811 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21812 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21813 is @code{t} by default.
21815 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21816 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21817 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21822 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21823 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21824 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21826 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21827 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21828 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21829 rule of 900 to the current article.
21831 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21832 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21833 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21834 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21835 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21836 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21837 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21839 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21840 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21841 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21842 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21843 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21844 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21845 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21846 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21847 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21849 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21850 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21851 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21853 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21857 @node Formatting Variables
21858 @section Formatting Variables
21859 @cindex formatting variables
21861 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21862 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21863 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21864 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21865 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21868 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21869 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21870 lots of percentages everywhere.
21873 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21874 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21875 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21876 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21877 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21878 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21879 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21880 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21883 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21884 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21885 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21886 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21887 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21888 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21889 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21890 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21892 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21893 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21895 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21896 @findex gnus-update-format
21897 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21898 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21899 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21900 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21904 @node Formatting Basics
21905 @subsection Formatting Basics
21907 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21908 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21909 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21911 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21912 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21913 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21914 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21915 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21918 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21919 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21920 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21921 less than 4 characters wide.
21923 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21924 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21927 @node Mode Line Formatting
21928 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21930 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21931 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21932 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21933 with the following two differences:
21938 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21941 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21942 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21943 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21944 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21945 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21946 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21947 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21952 @node Advanced Formatting
21953 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21955 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21956 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21957 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21958 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21960 These are the valid modifiers:
21965 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21969 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21974 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21977 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21982 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
21985 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
21988 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
21991 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
21997 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22002 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22003 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22004 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22005 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22006 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22007 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22008 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22010 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22011 last operation, padding.
22013 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22014 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22015 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22016 @xref{Compilation}.
22019 @node User-Defined Specs
22020 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22022 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22023 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22024 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22025 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22026 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22027 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22028 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22029 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22030 should protect against that.
22032 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22033 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22035 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22036 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22037 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22038 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22042 @node Formatting Fonts
22043 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22046 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22047 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22048 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22049 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22050 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22054 @vindex gnus-face-0
22055 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22056 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22057 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22058 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22059 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22060 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22062 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22063 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22064 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22065 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22066 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22067 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22068 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22069 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22070 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22071 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22072 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22073 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22074 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22075 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22078 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22081 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22082 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22083 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22085 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22086 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22087 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22088 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22089 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22090 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22091 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22093 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22094 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22095 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22098 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22099 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22101 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22102 mode-line variables.
22104 @node Positioning Point
22105 @subsection Positioning Point
22107 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22108 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22109 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22111 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22113 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22114 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22115 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22117 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22118 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22119 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22124 @subsection Tabulation
22126 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22127 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22128 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22129 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22131 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22132 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22134 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22135 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22136 This is the soft tabulator.
22138 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22139 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22140 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22143 @node Wide Characters
22144 @subsection Wide Characters
22146 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22147 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22148 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22150 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22151 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22152 these countries, that's not true.
22154 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22155 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22156 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22157 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22161 @node Window Layout
22162 @section Window Layout
22163 @cindex window layout
22165 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22167 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22168 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22169 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22170 @code{t} by default.
22172 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22173 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22175 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22176 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22177 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22180 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)))
22181 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22185 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22186 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22187 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22188 possible names is listed below.
22190 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22191 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22194 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22198 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22199 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22200 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22201 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22202 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22203 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22204 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22205 size spec per split.
22207 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22208 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22209 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22210 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22211 present) gets focus.
22213 Here's a more complicated example:
22216 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22217 (summary 0.25 point)
22221 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22222 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22223 occupy, not a percentage.
22225 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22226 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22227 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22228 be used as a split.
22230 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22233 (article (horizontal 1.0
22237 (summary 0.25 point)
22241 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22242 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22244 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22245 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22246 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22247 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22248 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22250 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22251 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22252 lines from the splits.
22254 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22259 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22260 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22261 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22262 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22263 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22264 size = number | frame-params
22265 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22269 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22270 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22271 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22272 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22274 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22275 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22276 @cindex window height
22277 @cindex window width
22278 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22279 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22280 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22281 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22282 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22283 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22285 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22286 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22287 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22288 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22290 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22291 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22292 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22293 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22294 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22295 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22296 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22297 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22298 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22299 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22300 configuration list.
22303 (gnus-configure-frame
22307 (article 0.3 point))
22315 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22316 @code{frame} split:
22319 (gnus-configure-frame
22322 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22324 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22325 (user-position . t)
22326 (left . -1) (top . 1))
22331 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
22332 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
22333 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
22334 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
22335 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
22336 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
22337 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
22338 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
22340 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
22341 be found in its default value.
22343 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
22344 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
22345 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
22349 (message (horizontal 1.0
22350 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
22352 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
22357 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
22358 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
22359 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
22364 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
22365 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
22366 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
22367 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
22368 (name . "Message"))
22369 (message 1.0 point))))
22372 @findex gnus-add-configuration
22373 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
22374 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
22375 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
22376 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
22379 (gnus-add-configuration
22380 '(article (vertical 1.0
22382 (summary .25 point)
22386 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
22387 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
22388 Gnus has been loaded.
22390 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
22391 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
22392 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
22393 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
22394 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
22396 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
22397 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
22398 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
22401 @subsection Example Window Configurations
22405 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
22406 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
22421 (gnus-add-configuration
22424 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22426 (summary 0.16 point)
22429 (gnus-add-configuration
22432 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22433 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
22439 @node Faces and Fonts
22440 @section Faces and Fonts
22445 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
22446 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
22447 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
22452 @section Compilation
22453 @cindex compilation
22454 @cindex byte-compilation
22456 @findex gnus-compile
22458 Remember all those line format specification variables?
22459 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
22460 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
22461 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
22462 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
22463 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
22466 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
22467 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
22468 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
22469 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
22470 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
22471 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
22472 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
22476 @section Mode Lines
22479 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
22480 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
22481 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
22482 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
22483 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
22484 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
22485 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
22488 @cindex display-time
22490 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
22491 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
22492 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
22493 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
22494 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
22495 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
22496 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
22497 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
22500 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
22502 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
22503 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
22505 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
22506 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
22507 (length display-time-string)))))
22510 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
22511 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
22512 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
22513 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
22514 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
22517 @node Highlighting and Menus
22518 @section Highlighting and Menus
22520 @cindex highlighting
22523 @vindex gnus-visual
22524 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
22525 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
22526 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
22529 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
22530 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
22533 @item group-highlight
22534 Do highlights in the group buffer.
22535 @item summary-highlight
22536 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
22537 @item article-highlight
22538 Do highlights in the article buffer.
22540 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
22542 Create menus in the group buffer.
22544 Create menus in the summary buffers.
22546 Create menus in the article buffer.
22548 Create menus in the browse buffer.
22550 Create menus in the server buffer.
22552 Create menus in the score buffers.
22554 Create menus in all buffers.
22557 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
22558 buffers, you could say something like:
22561 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
22564 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
22567 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
22570 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
22571 in all Gnus buffers.
22573 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
22576 @item gnus-mouse-face
22577 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22578 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
22579 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
22583 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
22587 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
22588 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
22589 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
22591 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
22592 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
22593 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
22595 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
22596 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
22597 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
22599 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
22600 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
22601 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
22603 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
22604 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
22605 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
22607 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
22608 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
22609 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
22619 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22620 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22621 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22622 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22623 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22625 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22626 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22627 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22629 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22630 been idle for thirty minutes:
22633 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22636 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22640 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22643 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22644 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22645 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22647 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22648 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22649 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22650 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22652 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22653 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22654 @var{idle} minutes.
22656 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22657 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22660 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22661 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22662 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22664 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22665 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22666 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22667 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22669 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22670 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22672 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22674 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22677 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22678 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22679 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22680 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22681 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22682 @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22683 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22684 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22685 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22686 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22688 @findex gnus-demon-init
22689 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22690 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22691 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22692 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22693 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22695 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22696 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22697 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22705 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22706 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22707 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22709 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22710 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22711 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22712 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22713 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22714 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22715 @code{undo} function.
22717 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22718 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22719 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22720 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22721 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22722 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22723 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22724 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22725 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22726 never be totally undoable.
22728 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22729 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22731 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22732 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22733 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22734 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22738 @node Predicate Specifiers
22739 @section Predicate Specifiers
22740 @cindex predicate specifiers
22742 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22743 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22744 to type all that much.
22746 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22751 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22752 gnus-article-unread-p)
22755 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22756 functions all take one parameter.
22758 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22759 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22760 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22761 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22766 @section Moderation
22769 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22770 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22771 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22774 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22778 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22781 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22783 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22788 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22789 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22790 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22793 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22794 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22797 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22798 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22802 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22805 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22806 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22810 @node Fetching a Group
22811 @section Fetching a Group
22812 @cindex fetching a group
22814 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22815 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22816 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22817 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22818 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22819 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22822 @node Image Enhancements
22823 @section Image Enhancements
22825 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22826 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
22827 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
22830 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22831 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22832 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22833 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22834 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
22835 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22843 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22844 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22845 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22849 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22850 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22851 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22859 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22860 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
22861 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
22862 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
22863 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
22864 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
22865 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
22866 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
22867 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
22868 @code{display} program.
22870 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
22871 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
22872 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
22873 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
22874 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
22875 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
22876 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
22877 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
22879 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
22880 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
22881 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22882 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22883 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
22884 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22886 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22894 @vindex gnus-x-face
22895 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22896 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22897 default colors are black and white.
22899 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22900 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22901 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22902 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22903 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22904 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22907 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22908 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22909 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22910 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22912 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22913 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22914 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22915 (png . (:relief -2))))
22918 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22919 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22920 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22921 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22922 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22923 @samp{libcompface} library.
22926 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
22927 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
22928 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
22929 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
22930 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
22931 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
22933 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22934 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22935 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22936 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22937 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22938 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22939 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22940 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22941 header data as a string.
22943 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22944 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22945 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22946 randomly generated data.
22948 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22949 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22950 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22951 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22952 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22954 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22955 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22958 (setq message-required-news-headers
22959 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22960 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22963 Using the last function would be something like this:
22966 (setq message-required-news-headers
22967 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22968 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22969 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22970 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22978 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
22980 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22981 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22982 represent the author of the message.
22985 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22986 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22987 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22990 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22991 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22993 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
22996 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
22998 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23000 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23001 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23003 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23004 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23005 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23007 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23008 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23009 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23010 converts the file to Face format by using the
23011 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23013 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23014 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23017 (setq message-required-news-headers
23018 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23019 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23020 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23025 @subsection Smileys
23030 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23035 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23036 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23038 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23039 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23042 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23045 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23046 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23047 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23048 text and maps that to file names.
23050 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23051 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23052 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23053 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23054 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23057 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23062 @vindex smiley-style
23063 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23064 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23065 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23066 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23069 @item smiley-data-directory
23070 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23071 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23072 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23074 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23075 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23076 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23090 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23091 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23092 over your shoulder as you read news.
23094 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23103 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23104 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23105 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23106 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23107 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23108 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23109 @code{GIF} formats.
23112 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23113 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23114 point your Web browser at
23115 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23117 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23118 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23120 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23121 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23124 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23125 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23126 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23127 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
23129 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
23133 @item gnus-picon-databases
23134 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23135 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
23136 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
23137 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
23138 "/usr/local/faces")}.
23140 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
23141 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
23142 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23143 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
23145 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
23146 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
23147 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
23148 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
23150 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
23151 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
23152 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23153 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
23154 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
23156 @item gnus-picon-file-types
23157 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
23158 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
23159 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
23161 @item gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23162 @vindex gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23163 If non-@code{nil} (which is the default), don't display picons for
23164 things like @samp{.net} and @samp{.de}, which aren't usually very
23170 @subsection Gravatars
23174 \include{gravatars}
23178 A gravatar is an image registered to an e-mail address.
23180 You can submit yours on-line at @uref{http://www.gravatar.com}.
23182 The following variables offer control over how things are displayed.
23186 @item gnus-gravatar-size
23187 @vindex gnus-gravatar-size
23188 The size in pixels of gravatars. Gravatars are always square, so one
23189 number for the size is enough.
23191 @item gnus-gravatar-properties
23192 @vindex gnus-gravatar-properties
23193 List of image properties applied to Gravatar images.
23195 @item gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23196 @vindex gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23197 Regexp that matches mail addresses or names of people of which avatars
23198 should not be displayed, or @code{nil}. It default to the value of
23199 @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (@pxref{X-Face}).
23203 If you want to see them in the From field, set:
23205 (setq gnus-treat-from-gravatar 'head)
23208 If you want to see them in the Cc and To fields, set:
23211 (setq gnus-treat-mail-gravatar 'head)
23216 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
23219 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23220 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23221 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
23222 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
23223 unusual directory structure.
23225 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23226 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23227 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
23232 @subsubsection Toolbar
23236 @item gnus-use-toolbar
23237 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
23238 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
23239 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
23240 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
23241 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
23242 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
23243 names show. The default is @code{default}.
23245 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
23246 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
23247 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
23248 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
23249 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
23250 The default is that of the default toolbar.
23252 @item gnus-group-toolbar
23253 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
23254 The toolbar in the group buffer.
23256 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
23257 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
23258 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
23260 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23261 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23262 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
23273 @node Fuzzy Matching
23274 @section Fuzzy Matching
23275 @cindex fuzzy matching
23277 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
23278 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
23280 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
23281 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
23282 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
23284 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
23285 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
23286 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
23287 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
23288 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
23291 @node Thwarting Email Spam
23292 @section Thwarting Email Spam
23296 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23298 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
23299 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
23300 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
23301 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
23302 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
23303 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
23304 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
23305 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
23308 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
23309 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
23310 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
23311 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
23312 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
23313 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
23315 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
23318 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
23319 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
23320 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
23321 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
23324 @node The problem of spam
23325 @subsection The problem of spam
23327 @cindex spam filtering approaches
23328 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
23330 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23332 First, some background on spam.
23334 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
23335 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23336 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23337 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23338 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23339 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23340 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23341 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23342 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23344 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23345 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23346 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23347 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23348 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23349 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23350 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23351 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23352 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23355 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23356 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23357 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23358 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23359 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23360 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23361 from Bulgarian IPs.
23363 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23364 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23365 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23366 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23368 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23369 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23370 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23371 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23373 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23374 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23375 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23376 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23377 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23378 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23379 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23380 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23381 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23383 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23384 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23385 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23386 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23387 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23388 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23389 down for some time because of the incident.
23391 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23392 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23393 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23394 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23395 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23396 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23397 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23398 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
23399 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23400 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23401 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23403 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23404 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23405 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23406 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23407 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23408 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23409 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23412 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23413 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23417 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23419 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23420 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23422 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23423 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23424 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23425 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23426 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23427 part of the mail address.)
23430 (setq message-default-news-headers
23431 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23434 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23435 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23439 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23440 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23441 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23446 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23447 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23448 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23449 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23451 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23452 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23453 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23454 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23455 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23456 your fancy split rule in this way:
23461 (to "larsi" "misc")
23465 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23466 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23467 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23468 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23469 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23471 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23472 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
23473 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
23474 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
23476 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23480 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23481 @cindex SpamAssassin
23482 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23485 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23486 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23487 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23488 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23489 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23490 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23491 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23493 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23494 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23495 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23498 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23499 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23500 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23501 Specifiers}) follow.
23505 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23509 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23512 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23513 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23514 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23517 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23521 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23524 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23525 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23529 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23530 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23531 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23532 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23535 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23537 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23541 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23542 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23546 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23547 downloaded by default. You need to set
23548 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23549 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
23551 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23552 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23553 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23556 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23557 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23559 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
23560 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23564 @subsection Hashcash
23567 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23568 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23569 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23570 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23571 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23573 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23574 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23575 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23576 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23577 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23578 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23579 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23580 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23581 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23582 one of them separately.
23585 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23586 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23587 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23588 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23589 need to install to use this feature, see
23590 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23591 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23593 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23594 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23595 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23598 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23601 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23605 @item hashcash-default-payment
23606 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23607 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23608 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23611 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23612 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23613 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23614 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23615 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23616 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23617 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23618 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23619 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23621 @item hashcash-path
23622 @vindex hashcash-path
23623 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23624 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23625 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23626 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23627 when you generate hashcash payments.
23631 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23632 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23633 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23634 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23635 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23636 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23637 Hashcash Payments}).
23640 @section Spam Package
23641 @cindex spam filtering
23644 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
23645 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
23646 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
23647 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
23650 * Spam Package Introduction::
23651 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
23652 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
23653 * Spam and Ham Processors::
23654 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
23656 * Extending the Spam package::
23657 * Spam Statistics Package::
23660 @node Spam Package Introduction
23661 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
23662 @cindex spam filtering
23663 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23666 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
23667 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23669 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23670 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
23672 @cindex spam-initialize
23673 @vindex spam-use-stat
23674 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
23675 @code{spam-initialize}:
23681 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
23682 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
23683 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
23684 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
23685 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
23687 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
23688 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
23690 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
23691 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
23693 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
23694 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
23695 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
23696 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
23697 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
23699 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
23700 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
23701 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
23702 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
23703 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
23706 @cindex spam back ends
23707 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
23708 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
23709 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
23710 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
23711 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
23713 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
23714 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
23716 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
23717 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
23718 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
23719 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
23720 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
23721 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
23722 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
23724 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
23725 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
23726 point, the Spam package does several things:
23728 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
23729 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
23730 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
23731 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
23732 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
23733 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
23734 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
23735 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
23738 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
23739 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
23747 @kindex $ (Summary)
23748 @kindex M-d (Summary)
23749 @kindex S x (Summary)
23750 @kindex M s x (Summary)
23751 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23752 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23753 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
23754 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
23758 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
23759 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
23761 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
23762 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
23763 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
23764 to be processed as ham by setting
23765 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23766 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
23768 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23769 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23770 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
23771 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
23772 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
23773 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
23774 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
23775 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
23776 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
23777 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
23778 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
23779 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
23781 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
23782 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
23783 want each article to be processed only once, load the
23784 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
23785 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
23786 Configuration Examples}.
23788 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
23789 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
23790 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
23791 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
23793 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
23794 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23796 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23797 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23798 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23800 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
23801 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
23802 @cindex spam filtering
23803 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23806 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
23807 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
23808 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
23809 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23810 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
23816 @vindex spam-split-group
23818 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
23819 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
23820 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
23821 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
23822 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
23823 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
23824 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
23825 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
23826 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
23828 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
23830 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
23831 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
23832 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
23833 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to
23834 @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can ``scan''
23835 the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only retrieves
23836 the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells it to
23837 retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by default
23838 because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
23839 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Client-Side
23842 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
23843 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
23844 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
23845 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
23846 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
23847 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
23848 ends, and the following split rule:
23851 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23852 (any "ding" "ding")
23854 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23859 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
23860 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
23861 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
23862 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
23863 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
23864 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23866 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
23867 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
23868 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
23869 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
23874 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23875 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23876 (any "ding" "ding")
23877 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23879 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23884 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23885 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
23886 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23887 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23888 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23889 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23890 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23892 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
23893 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
23894 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
23895 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
23897 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
23898 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
23901 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
23902 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
23904 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
23905 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
23906 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
23907 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23909 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
23910 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
23911 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
23912 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
23914 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
23915 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
23916 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
23918 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
23919 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
23920 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
23921 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
23922 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
23923 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
23924 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
23926 @node Spam and Ham Processors
23927 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
23928 @cindex spam filtering
23929 @cindex spam filtering variables
23930 @cindex spam variables
23933 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
23934 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
23935 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
23936 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
23937 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
23938 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
23939 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
23941 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
23942 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
23943 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
23944 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
23946 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23947 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
23948 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
23949 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
23950 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
23951 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23952 by customizing the corresponding variable
23953 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23954 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23955 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23956 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23957 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23958 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23959 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23962 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23964 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23965 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23966 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23967 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23968 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23969 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23970 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23971 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23972 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23973 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23974 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23975 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23976 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23978 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23979 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23980 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23981 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23982 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23983 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23984 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23985 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23988 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23989 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23990 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23991 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23992 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23993 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23994 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23999 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24000 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24001 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24002 you really want to.
24005 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24006 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24007 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24008 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24009 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24010 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24013 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24014 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24015 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24016 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24017 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24018 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24019 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24020 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24021 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24022 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24023 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24024 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24025 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24026 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24027 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24029 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24030 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24032 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24033 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24034 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24036 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24037 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24039 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24040 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24041 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24042 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24043 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24045 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24046 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24047 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24048 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24049 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24052 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24053 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24054 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24055 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24056 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24057 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24058 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24059 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24060 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24061 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24062 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24063 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24064 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24066 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24067 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24069 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24070 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24073 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24074 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24075 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24076 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24077 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24078 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24079 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24081 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24082 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24083 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24084 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24086 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24087 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24088 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24089 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24090 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24091 from the mail server.
24093 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24094 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24095 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24096 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24098 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24099 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24100 @cindex spam filtering
24101 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24102 @cindex spam configuration examples
24105 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24107 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24109 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24110 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24111 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24115 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24117 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24118 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24119 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24120 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24121 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24122 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24123 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24124 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24125 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24126 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
24127 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24128 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24129 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24130 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24131 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24132 (any "ding" "ding")
24133 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24135 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24138 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24140 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24141 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24142 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24143 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24145 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24147 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24148 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24149 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24150 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24151 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24153 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24154 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24156 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24158 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24159 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24161 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24162 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24163 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24165 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24167 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24168 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24170 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24171 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24172 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24174 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24175 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24176 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24177 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24179 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24180 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
24181 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
24185 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
24186 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24188 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
24189 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
24190 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
24191 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
24192 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
24193 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
24194 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
24195 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
24196 @samp{training.spam} folders.
24198 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
24199 does most of the job for me:
24202 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
24203 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
24204 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
24205 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24206 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
24207 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
24208 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
24213 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
24215 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
24216 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
24217 bogofilter or DCC).
24219 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
24220 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
24221 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
24222 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
24223 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
24224 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
24225 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
24227 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
24228 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
24229 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
24230 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
24231 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
24232 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
24234 @item @b{Ham folders:}
24236 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
24237 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
24238 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
24239 @samp{training.spam}.
24242 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
24244 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24246 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
24247 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
24248 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
24252 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
24255 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
24256 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
24257 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
24258 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
24259 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
24261 @node Spam Back Ends
24262 @subsection Spam Back Ends
24263 @cindex spam back ends
24265 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
24266 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
24267 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
24268 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
24272 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
24273 * BBDB Whitelists::
24274 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
24275 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
24277 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
24279 * SpamAssassin back end::
24280 * ifile spam filtering::
24281 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
24285 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
24286 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
24287 @cindex spam filtering
24288 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
24289 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
24292 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
24294 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
24295 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
24296 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
24297 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24302 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24304 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24305 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24306 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24307 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24308 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24312 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24314 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24315 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24316 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24320 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24322 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24323 customizing the group parameters or the
24324 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24325 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24326 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24330 Instead of the obsolete
24331 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24332 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24333 the same way, we promise.
24337 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24339 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24340 customizing the group parameters or the
24341 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24342 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24343 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24348 Instead of the obsolete
24349 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24350 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24351 the same way, we promise.
24355 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24356 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24357 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24358 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24359 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24361 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24362 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24363 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24364 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24366 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24367 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24368 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24369 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24370 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24371 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24373 @node BBDB Whitelists
24374 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24375 @cindex spam filtering
24376 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24377 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24380 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24382 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24383 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24384 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24385 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24386 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24387 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24388 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24392 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24394 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24395 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24396 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24397 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24398 classified as spammers.
24400 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24401 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24402 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24403 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24408 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24410 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24411 customizing the group parameters or the
24412 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24413 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24414 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24419 Instead of the obsolete
24420 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24421 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24422 the same way, we promise.
24426 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24427 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24428 @cindex spam reporting
24429 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24430 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24433 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24435 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24436 customizing the group parameters or the
24437 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24438 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24439 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24442 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24446 Instead of the obsolete
24447 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24448 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24449 same way, we promise.
24453 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24455 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24456 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24457 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24458 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24459 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24463 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24465 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24466 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24467 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24471 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24472 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24473 @cindex spam filtering
24474 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24477 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24479 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24480 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24481 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24482 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24483 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24484 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24489 @subsubsection Blackholes
24490 @cindex spam filtering
24491 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24494 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24496 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24497 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24498 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24499 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24500 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24501 contains outdated servers.
24503 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24504 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24505 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24506 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24507 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24508 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24512 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24514 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24518 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24520 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24521 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24525 @defvar spam-use-dig
24527 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24528 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24532 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24533 ham processor for blackholes.
24535 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24536 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24537 @cindex spam filtering
24538 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24541 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24543 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24544 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24545 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24546 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24547 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24548 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24552 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24554 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24555 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24559 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24561 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24562 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24566 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24567 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24570 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24571 @cindex spam filtering
24572 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24575 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24577 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24580 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24581 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24582 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24583 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24584 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24585 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24587 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24588 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24591 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24592 processing will be turned off.
24594 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24603 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
24604 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
24607 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24609 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24610 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24611 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24612 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24613 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24614 installation documents for details.
24616 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24620 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24621 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24622 customizing the group parameters or the
24623 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24624 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24625 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24629 Instead of the obsolete
24630 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24631 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24632 the same way, we promise.
24635 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24636 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24637 customizing the group parameters or the
24638 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24639 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24640 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24641 of non-spam messages.
24645 Instead of the obsolete
24646 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24647 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24648 the same way, we promise.
24651 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24653 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24654 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24655 database directory.
24659 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24660 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24661 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24662 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24663 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24664 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24666 @node SpamAssassin back end
24667 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24668 @cindex spam filtering
24669 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24672 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24674 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24676 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24677 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24678 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24679 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24682 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24683 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24684 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24685 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24688 You should not enable this if you use
24689 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24693 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24695 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24696 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24698 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24702 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
24704 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24705 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24706 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24707 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24711 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24712 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24713 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24714 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24715 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24716 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24717 to test this functionality.
24719 @node ifile spam filtering
24720 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24721 @cindex spam filtering
24722 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24725 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24727 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24728 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24732 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24734 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24735 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24736 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24740 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24742 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24743 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24744 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24747 @defvar spam-ifile-database
24749 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24750 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24754 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24755 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24756 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24757 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24760 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
24761 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
24762 @cindex spam filtering
24763 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24767 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
24768 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
24769 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
24770 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
24771 spam-stat dictionary}.
24773 @defvar spam-use-stat
24777 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24778 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24779 customizing the group parameters or the
24780 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24781 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24782 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24786 Instead of the obsolete
24787 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24788 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24789 the same way, we promise.
24792 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24793 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24794 customizing the group parameters or the
24795 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24796 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24797 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24798 of non-spam messages.
24802 Instead of the obsolete
24803 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24804 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24805 the same way, we promise.
24808 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24809 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24810 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24811 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24812 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24815 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24816 @cindex spam filtering
24820 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24821 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24822 installed separately.
24824 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24825 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24826 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24827 mail as a spam mail or not.
24829 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24830 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24831 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24833 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
24836 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24837 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24838 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24839 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
24840 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
24841 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
24842 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
24843 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
24846 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24847 spam-split-group "Junk"
24848 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
24849 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24850 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24853 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24854 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24858 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24859 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24860 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24864 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24865 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24866 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
24867 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24868 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24869 database to live somewhere special, set
24870 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24873 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24874 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24875 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
24876 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24877 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24878 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
24879 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
24880 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
24881 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
24882 @xref{Spam Package}.
24884 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24885 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24886 customizing the group parameter or the
24887 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24888 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24889 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24893 Instead of the obsolete
24894 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24895 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24896 the same way, we promise.
24899 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24900 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24901 customizing the group parameter or the
24902 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24903 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24904 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24909 Instead of the obsolete
24910 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24911 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24912 the same way, we promise.
24915 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24916 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24919 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24920 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24921 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24923 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24924 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24925 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24926 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24927 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24928 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24930 @node Extending the Spam package
24931 @subsection Extending the Spam package
24932 @cindex spam filtering
24933 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
24934 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
24936 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
24937 incoming mail, provide the following:
24945 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24946 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24949 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24951 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24952 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24953 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24954 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24955 register/unregister spam and ham.
24960 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24961 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24962 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24963 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24968 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24975 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24976 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24978 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24979 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24980 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24981 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24984 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24985 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24986 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24988 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24989 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24990 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24999 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25000 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25002 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25003 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25004 variable customization.
25008 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25010 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25011 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25013 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25014 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25020 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25022 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25023 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25024 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25027 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25029 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25030 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25034 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25036 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25037 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25038 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25042 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25044 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25045 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25046 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25049 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25051 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25052 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25056 @code{spam-install-backend}
25058 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25059 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25060 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25063 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25065 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25066 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25067 never install such a back end.
25072 @node Spam Statistics Package
25073 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25074 @cindex Paul Graham
25075 @cindex Graham, Paul
25076 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25077 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25078 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25080 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25081 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25082 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25083 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25084 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25085 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25086 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25087 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25088 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25091 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25092 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25093 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25094 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25095 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25096 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25097 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25098 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25100 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25101 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25102 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25104 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25105 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25106 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25107 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25108 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25111 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25112 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25113 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25116 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25117 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25119 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25120 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25121 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25122 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25123 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25125 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25126 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25127 per mail. Use the following:
25129 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25130 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25131 is treated as one spam mail.
25134 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25135 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25136 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25139 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25140 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25141 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25142 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25143 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25144 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25146 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25147 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25148 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25149 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25150 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25153 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25154 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25155 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25156 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25159 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25160 reset the dictionary.
25162 @defun spam-stat-reset
25163 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25166 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25167 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25168 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25169 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25170 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25171 only non-spam mails.
25173 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25174 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25175 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25178 @defun spam-stat-save
25179 Save the dictionary.
25182 @defvar spam-stat-file
25183 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
25184 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
25187 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
25188 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
25190 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
25191 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
25193 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25196 (require 'spam-stat)
25200 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
25203 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
25204 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
25205 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
25206 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
25208 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
25209 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
25210 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
25211 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
25214 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25215 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25219 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
25220 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
25223 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
25224 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
25225 expression are considered potential spam.
25228 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25229 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25230 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25234 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
25235 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
25236 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
25237 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
25238 mails, when creating the dictionary!
25241 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25242 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25243 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25247 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
25248 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
25249 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
25250 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
25251 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
25255 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25256 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
25257 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25258 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25263 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25264 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25266 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
25268 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
25269 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
25270 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25273 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
25274 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
25275 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25278 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
25279 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
25280 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
25281 already been processed as non-spam.
25284 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
25285 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
25286 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
25287 been processed as spam.
25290 @defun spam-stat-save
25291 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
25292 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25295 @defun spam-stat-load
25296 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
25297 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25300 @defun spam-stat-score-word
25301 Return the spam score for a word.
25304 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
25305 Return the spam score for a buffer.
25308 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
25309 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
25310 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25313 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25314 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25317 (require 'spam-stat)
25321 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25324 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25325 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25326 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25327 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25328 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25329 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25330 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25331 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25332 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25333 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25334 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25335 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25336 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25337 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25340 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25343 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25344 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25345 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25346 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25347 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25348 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25351 @node The Gnus Registry
25352 @section The Gnus Registry
25357 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
25358 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
25359 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
25360 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
25361 features are pretty cool.
25363 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
25364 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
25368 Split messages to their parent
25370 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
25371 the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
25375 Refer to messages by ID
25377 Commands like @code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article} can take
25378 advantage of the registry to jump to the referred article, regardless
25379 of the group the message is in.
25382 Store custom flags and keywords
25384 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
25385 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
25386 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
25390 Store arbitrary data
25392 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
25393 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
25394 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
25399 * Fancy splitting to parent::
25400 * Registry Article Refer Method::
25401 * Store custom flags and keywords::
25402 * Store arbitrary data::
25408 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
25411 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500
25412 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t)
25414 (gnus-registry-initialize)
25417 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
25418 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
25419 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
25420 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
25421 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
25423 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
25424 what they do before you copy them blindly).
25428 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
25429 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
25433 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
25434 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t
25435 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
25438 They say: keep a lot of messages around, use long group names, track
25439 messages by sender and subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when
25440 the registry splits incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where
25441 messages should go if there's more than one possibility. In addition,
25442 the registry should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'',
25443 ``nnrss'', ``spam'', or ``train.''
25445 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
25446 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
25447 the general settings.
25449 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
25450 The groups that will not be followed by
25451 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
25452 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
25455 @defvar gnus-registry-ignored-groups
25456 The groups that will not be remembered by the registry. This is a
25457 list of regular expressions, also available through Group/Topic
25458 customization (so you can ignore or keep a specific group or a whole
25462 @defvar gnus-registry-use-long-group-names
25463 Whether the registry will use long group names. It's recommended to
25464 set this to @code{t}, although everything works if you don't. Future
25465 functionality will require it.
25468 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
25469 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
25470 registry will keep.
25473 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
25474 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions.
25477 @node Registry Article Refer Method
25478 @subsection Fetching by @code{Message-ID} Using the Registry
25480 The registry knows how to map each @code{Message-ID} to the group it's
25481 in. This can be leveraged to enhance the ``article refer method'',
25482 the thing that tells Gnus how to look up an article given its
25483 Message-ID (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25486 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
25488 The @code{nnregistry} refer method does exactly that. It has the
25489 advantage that an article may be found regardless of the group it's
25490 in---provided its @code{Message-ID} is known to the registry. It can
25491 be enabled by augmenting the start-up file with something along these
25495 ;; Keep enough entries to have a good hit rate when referring to an
25496 ;; article using the registry. Use long group names so that Gnus
25497 ;; knows where the article is.
25498 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500
25499 gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t)
25501 (gnus-registry-initialize)
25503 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
25506 (nnweb "gmane" (nnweb-type gmane))))
25509 The example above instructs Gnus to first look up the article in the
25510 current group, or, alternatively, using the registry, and finally, if
25511 all else fails, using Gmane.
25513 @node Fancy splitting to parent
25514 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
25516 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
25518 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
25519 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
25520 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
25523 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
25524 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
25525 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
25526 have to put a rule like this:
25529 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
25531 ;; split to parent: you need this
25532 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
25534 ;; other rules, as an example
25540 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
25541 following variables.
25543 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
25544 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
25545 Customize interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to
25546 track @code{subject} and @code{sender} as well when splitting by parent.
25547 It may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
25548 people don't stick to the same groups.
25551 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
25552 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
25553 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
25554 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
25555 the majority of matches or on the first found.
25558 @node Store custom flags and keywords
25559 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
25561 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
25562 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
25563 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
25565 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
25566 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
25567 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
25568 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
25569 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
25570 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
25572 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
25573 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
25574 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
25578 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
25579 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
25580 will offer the available marks for completion.
25583 @node Store arbitrary data
25584 @subsection Store arbitrary data
25586 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
25587 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
25590 @defun gnus-registry-store-extra-entry (id key value)
25591 Store @code{value} in the extra data key @code{key} for message
25595 @defun gnus-registry-delete-extra-entry (id key)
25596 Delete the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
25599 @defun gnus-registry-fetch-extra (id key)
25600 Get the extra data key @code{key} for message @code{id}.
25603 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
25604 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
25605 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
25606 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
25607 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
25612 @section Interaction with other modes
25617 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
25618 buffers. It is enabled with
25620 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25625 @findex gnus-dired-attach
25626 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
25627 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
25628 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
25631 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
25632 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
25633 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
25637 @findex gnus-dired-print
25638 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
25639 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
25642 @node Various Various
25643 @section Various Various
25649 @item gnus-home-directory
25650 @vindex gnus-home-directory
25651 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
25652 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
25654 @item gnus-directory
25655 @vindex gnus-directory
25656 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
25657 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
25658 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
25660 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
25661 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
25662 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
25663 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
25665 @item gnus-default-directory
25666 @vindex gnus-default-directory
25667 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
25668 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
25669 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
25670 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
25671 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
25672 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
25675 @vindex gnus-verbose
25676 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
25677 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
25678 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
25679 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
25680 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
25682 @item gnus-verbose-backends
25683 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
25684 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
25685 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
25687 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
25688 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
25689 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
25690 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
25691 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
25692 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
25693 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
25694 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
25695 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
25696 displayed in the echo area.
25698 @item nnheader-max-head-length
25699 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
25700 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
25701 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
25702 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
25703 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
25704 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
25705 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
25706 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
25707 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
25709 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
25710 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
25711 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
25712 read when doing the operation described above.
25714 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25715 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25717 @cindex invalid characters in file names
25718 @cindex characters in file names
25719 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
25720 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
25721 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
25725 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25730 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
25731 Windows (phooey) systems.
25733 @item gnus-hidden-properties
25734 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
25735 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
25736 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
25737 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
25739 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
25740 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
25741 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
25742 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
25743 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
25745 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
25746 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
25747 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
25749 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25750 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25752 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
25753 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
25754 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
25755 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
25758 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
25760 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
25761 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
25762 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
25763 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
25764 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
25765 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
25766 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
25767 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
25768 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
25775 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
25776 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
25778 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
25780 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
25786 Not because of victories @*
25789 but for the common sunshine,@*
25791 the largess of the spring.
25795 but for the day's work done@*
25796 as well as I was able;@*
25797 not for a seat upon the dais@*
25798 but at the common table.@*
25803 @chapter Appendices
25806 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
25807 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
25808 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25809 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25810 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25811 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25812 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25813 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25814 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25821 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25823 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25824 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25825 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25826 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25827 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
25828 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25835 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25836 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25838 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25839 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25840 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25841 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25842 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25844 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25845 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25846 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25847 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25848 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25849 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25851 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25852 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25853 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25854 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25857 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25858 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25859 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25860 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25861 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25862 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25863 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25864 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25865 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25869 @node Gnus Versions
25870 @subsection Gnus Versions
25872 @cindex September Gnus
25874 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25875 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25878 @cindex Gnus versions
25880 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25881 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25882 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25884 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25885 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25887 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25888 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25890 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25891 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25893 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25894 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25897 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
25898 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
25900 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
25902 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
25903 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
25904 with the information when possible).
25906 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25907 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25908 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
25909 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
25910 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
25911 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25914 @node Other Gnus Versions
25915 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25918 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25919 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25920 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25921 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25923 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25924 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25925 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25926 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25933 What's the point of Gnus?
25935 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25936 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25937 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25938 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25939 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25940 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25941 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25942 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25943 keep track of millions of people who post?
25945 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25946 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25947 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25948 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25949 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25950 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25951 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25952 every one of you to explore and invent.
25954 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25955 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25958 @node Compatibility
25959 @subsection Compatibility
25961 @cindex compatibility
25962 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25963 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25964 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25969 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25973 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25976 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25979 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25980 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25981 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25982 important variables have their values copied into their global
25983 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25984 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25986 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25987 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25988 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25989 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25990 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25994 @cindex highlighting
25995 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25996 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25997 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25998 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25999 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26000 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26003 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26004 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26005 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26006 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26008 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26009 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26010 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26011 to stop doing it the old way.
26013 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26015 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26017 @cindex reporting bugs
26019 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26020 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26021 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26023 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26024 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26025 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26026 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26031 @subsection Conformity
26033 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26034 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26042 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26046 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26048 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26049 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26050 We do have some breaches to this one.
26056 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26057 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26058 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26059 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26060 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26065 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26066 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26067 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26068 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26070 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
26071 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26072 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26074 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
26075 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26077 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26080 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26081 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26082 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26083 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26084 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26087 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
26088 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26089 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26090 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26092 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
26093 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26095 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26096 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26097 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26098 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26099 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26100 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26101 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26102 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26106 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26107 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26112 @subsection Emacsen
26118 This version of Gnus should work on:
26126 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26130 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26131 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26132 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26133 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26135 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26138 @node Gnus Development
26139 @subsection Gnus Development
26141 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26142 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26143 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26144 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26145 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26146 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26147 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26148 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26150 After futzing around for 10-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26151 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26152 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26153 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26154 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26155 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26156 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26160 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26161 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26162 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26163 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26164 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26166 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26167 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26168 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26169 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26170 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26171 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26172 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26173 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26174 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26175 can't be assumed to do so.
26177 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
26178 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
26179 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
26182 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26183 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26184 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26185 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26186 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26189 @subsection Contributors
26190 @cindex contributors
26192 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26193 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26194 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26195 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26196 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26197 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26198 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26199 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26200 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26201 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26203 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26209 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26212 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el,
26213 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26214 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26215 functionality and stuff.
26218 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26219 well as numerous other things).
26222 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
26225 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
26228 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
26231 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
26234 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
26235 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
26238 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
26241 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
26244 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
26247 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
26250 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
26253 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
26256 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
26257 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
26260 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
26263 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
26266 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
26269 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
26273 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
26276 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
26279 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
26282 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
26283 well as autoconf support.
26287 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
26288 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
26290 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
26305 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
26307 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
26311 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
26321 Alexei V. Barantsev,
26336 Massimo Campostrini,
26341 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
26342 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
26346 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
26349 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
26355 Michael Welsh Duggan,
26360 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
26364 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
26372 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
26374 Michelangelo Grigni,
26378 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
26380 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
26382 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
26390 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
26391 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
26392 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
26394 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
26404 Peter Skov Knudsen,
26405 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
26407 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
26408 Thor Kristoffersen,
26411 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
26429 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
26430 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
26437 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
26442 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
26446 John McClary Prevost,
26452 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
26457 Christian von Roques,
26460 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
26467 Philippe Schnoebelen,
26469 Randal L. Schwartz,
26483 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
26488 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
26508 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
26509 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
26510 (550kB and counting).
26512 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
26515 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
26516 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
26520 @subsection New Features
26521 @cindex new features
26524 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
26525 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
26526 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
26527 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
26528 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
26529 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
26530 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
26533 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
26534 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
26535 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
26538 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
26540 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
26545 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
26546 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
26549 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
26550 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
26553 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
26556 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
26557 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
26558 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
26561 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
26562 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
26563 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
26564 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26567 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
26568 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26571 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
26572 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
26573 (@pxref{The Active File}).
26576 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
26577 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
26580 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
26581 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
26582 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26585 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
26586 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
26587 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
26590 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
26591 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
26594 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
26595 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
26598 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
26599 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26602 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
26603 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
26606 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
26607 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26610 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
26613 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
26614 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
26617 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
26618 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
26621 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
26622 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
26625 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
26628 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
26629 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26632 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
26636 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
26640 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
26641 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
26646 @node September Gnus
26647 @subsubsection September Gnus
26651 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
26655 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
26660 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
26661 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
26665 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
26666 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
26670 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
26674 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
26675 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
26678 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
26682 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
26685 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
26688 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
26691 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
26695 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
26696 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
26699 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
26703 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
26707 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
26711 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
26715 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
26718 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
26719 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
26722 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
26726 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
26727 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
26730 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
26733 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
26734 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
26735 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26738 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
26741 The Gnus cache is much faster.
26744 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
26748 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
26749 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
26752 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
26753 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
26756 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
26757 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
26760 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
26761 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
26762 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
26765 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
26766 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
26769 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
26772 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26775 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
26778 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
26781 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
26782 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
26785 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
26789 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
26792 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
26797 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26800 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
26804 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
26807 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
26810 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26811 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26814 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26815 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26819 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26820 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26823 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26827 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26828 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26831 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26834 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26838 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26842 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26843 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26846 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26850 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26851 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26854 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26855 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26858 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26862 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26865 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26868 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26874 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26876 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26880 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26887 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26890 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26891 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26894 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26895 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26899 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26900 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26903 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26906 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26907 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26910 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26914 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26915 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26919 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26920 Server Internals}).
26923 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26927 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26930 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26931 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26934 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26935 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26936 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26939 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26940 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26943 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26944 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26947 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26951 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26952 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26955 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26956 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26959 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26963 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26966 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26970 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26971 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26974 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26975 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26978 A new command for reading collections of documents
26979 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26980 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26983 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26987 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26988 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26991 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26992 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26993 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26996 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26997 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27001 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27005 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27009 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27014 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27018 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27022 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27023 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27026 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27032 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27034 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27039 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27040 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27041 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27044 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27045 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27046 group, which is created automatically.
27049 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27053 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
27056 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27057 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27060 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27064 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27067 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27068 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27071 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27074 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27078 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27079 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27082 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27083 control over simplification.
27086 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27089 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27093 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27096 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27099 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27100 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27101 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27104 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27105 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27108 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27112 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27113 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27116 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27117 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27120 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27124 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27127 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27130 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27131 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27134 A new function for citing in Message has been
27135 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27138 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27141 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27145 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27146 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27149 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27150 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27153 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27156 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27160 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27161 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27163 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27168 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27169 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27171 If you used procmail like in
27174 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27175 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27176 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27177 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27180 this now has changed to
27184 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27188 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27191 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27192 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27195 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27196 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27199 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27200 called to position point.
27203 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27204 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27207 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27208 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27211 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27212 subtly different manner.
27215 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
27216 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
27217 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
27220 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
27225 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
27228 New features in Gnus 5.10:
27232 @item Installation changes
27233 @c ***********************
27237 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
27239 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
27240 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
27241 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
27242 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
27243 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
27244 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
27245 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
27246 isn't save in general.
27249 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
27250 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
27251 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
27252 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
27253 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
27254 remove-installed-shadows}.
27257 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
27259 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
27260 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
27261 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
27262 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
27263 the second parameter.
27265 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
27266 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
27267 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
27268 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
27269 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
27270 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
27271 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
27272 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
27273 cycle used under Unix systems.
27275 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
27276 superfluous, so they have been removed.
27279 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
27281 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
27282 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
27285 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
27286 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
27288 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
27290 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
27291 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
27292 lisp directory into load-path.
27294 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
27295 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
27299 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
27300 @c *****************************************
27305 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
27306 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
27309 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
27311 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
27312 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS.
27315 Improved anti-spam features.
27317 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
27318 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
27319 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
27320 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
27321 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
27322 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
27325 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27327 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27328 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27329 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27330 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27331 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27335 @item Changes in group mode
27336 @c ************************
27341 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
27345 Retrieval of charters and control messages
27347 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
27348 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
27351 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
27353 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
27354 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
27355 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
27356 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
27357 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
27360 (setq gnus-parameters
27362 (gnus-show-threads nil)
27363 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
27364 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
27365 (to-group . "\\1"))))
27369 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
27371 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
27372 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
27373 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
27374 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
27375 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
27376 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
27377 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
27378 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
27379 when getting new mail, remove the function.
27382 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27384 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27385 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27386 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27389 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27390 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27392 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27393 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27394 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27396 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27400 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
27401 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
27402 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
27406 @item Changes in summary and article mode
27407 @c **************************************
27412 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
27413 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
27414 region if the region is active.
27417 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
27418 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
27423 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
27424 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
27425 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
27426 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
27429 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
27434 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
27435 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
27437 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
27438 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
27442 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
27443 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
27446 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
27449 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
27450 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
27453 Warn about email replies to news
27455 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
27456 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
27460 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
27461 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
27465 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
27466 opposed to old but unread messages).
27469 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
27470 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
27473 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
27474 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
27477 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
27478 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
27481 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
27483 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
27484 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
27485 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
27486 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
27489 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
27490 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
27491 Outlook (Express) articles.
27494 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
27496 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
27497 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
27498 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
27499 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
27501 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
27502 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
27503 message cited below.
27506 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
27509 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
27513 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
27516 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
27517 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
27520 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
27523 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
27525 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
27526 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
27527 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
27528 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
27529 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
27533 Deleting of attachments.
27535 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
27536 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
27537 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
27538 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
27539 that support editing.
27542 @code{gnus-default-charset}
27544 The default value is determined from the
27545 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
27546 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
27547 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
27550 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
27552 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
27553 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
27554 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
27557 Extended format specs.
27559 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
27560 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
27561 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
27562 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
27563 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
27564 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
27567 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
27568 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
27570 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
27571 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
27572 out other articles.
27575 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
27577 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
27578 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
27579 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
27580 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
27583 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
27587 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
27588 @c ****************************************************
27595 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
27596 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
27597 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
27600 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
27601 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
27604 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
27605 Gcc articles as read.
27608 Externalizing of attachments
27610 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
27611 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
27612 local files as external parts.
27615 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
27616 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
27619 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
27621 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
27622 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
27623 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
27624 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
27625 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
27626 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
27627 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
27628 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
27629 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
27632 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
27634 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
27635 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
27636 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
27637 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
27638 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
27639 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
27642 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
27643 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
27647 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
27650 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
27652 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
27653 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
27654 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
27655 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
27656 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
27657 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
27658 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
27659 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
27660 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
27661 was inserted directly.
27664 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
27666 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
27667 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
27668 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
27669 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
27670 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
27673 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
27675 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
27677 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
27678 'bbdb-complete-name)
27682 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
27684 Add a new format of match like
27686 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
27687 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27689 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
27691 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
27692 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27696 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
27698 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
27699 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
27700 need add those two headers too.
27703 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
27704 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
27705 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
27709 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
27710 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
27711 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
27712 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
27713 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
27716 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
27718 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
27721 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
27723 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
27727 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
27729 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
27730 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
27731 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
27732 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
27733 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
27734 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
27735 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
27736 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
27739 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
27740 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
27742 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
27743 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
27744 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
27745 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
27748 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
27751 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
27752 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
27755 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
27758 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
27759 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
27760 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
27761 invalidate the digital signature.
27764 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
27765 decompressed when activated.
27766 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
27769 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
27771 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
27772 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
27773 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
27774 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
27775 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
27778 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
27779 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
27780 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
27781 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
27783 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
27784 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
27785 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
27786 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
27790 @item Changes in back ends
27791 @c ***********************
27795 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
27798 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
27801 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
27803 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
27806 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
27808 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
27809 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
27810 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
27811 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
27812 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
27813 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
27814 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
27815 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
27816 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
27817 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
27818 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
27828 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
27829 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
27832 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
27833 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
27834 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
27835 message, Message Manual}).
27838 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
27839 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
27840 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
27841 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
27843 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
27844 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
27845 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
27850 @item Miscellaneous changes
27851 @c ************************
27858 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
27859 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
27860 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
27861 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
27862 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
27863 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
27864 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
27865 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
27866 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
27867 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
27868 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
27869 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
27870 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
27871 is not needed any more.
27874 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
27876 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
27877 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
27878 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
27883 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
27884 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
27885 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
27889 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
27892 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
27894 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
27901 @subsubsection No Gnus
27904 New features in No Gnus:
27905 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
27907 @include gnus-news.texi
27913 @section The Manual
27917 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27918 either @code{texi2dvi}
27920 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27921 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27923 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27925 The following conventions have been used:
27930 This is a @samp{string}
27933 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27936 This is a @file{file}
27939 This is a @code{symbol}
27943 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27947 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27950 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27953 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27956 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27957 ever get them confused.
27961 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27962 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27963 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27964 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27965 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27966 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27967 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27973 @node On Writing Manuals
27974 @section On Writing Manuals
27976 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27977 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27978 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27979 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27980 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27981 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
27984 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27985 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27986 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27989 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27990 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
27995 @section Terminology
27997 @cindex terminology
28002 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28003 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28004 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28005 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28006 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28010 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28011 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28012 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28013 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28017 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28021 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28026 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28027 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28028 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28029 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28030 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28031 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28032 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28033 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28034 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28037 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28038 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28039 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28040 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28041 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28042 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28044 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28045 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28046 access the articles.
28048 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28049 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28050 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28055 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28056 default, way of getting news.
28060 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
28061 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
28066 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
28067 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
28071 A message that has been posted as news.
28074 @cindex mail message
28075 A message that has been mailed.
28079 A mail message or news article
28083 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28088 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28093 A line from the head of an article.
28097 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28098 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28100 @item @acronym{NOV}
28101 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28102 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28103 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28104 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28105 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28106 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28108 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28109 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28110 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28111 normal @sc{head} format.
28113 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28114 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28115 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28116 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28117 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28120 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28121 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28122 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28123 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28124 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28125 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28126 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28130 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
28131 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28132 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
28133 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28134 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28135 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28137 @item killed groups
28138 @cindex killed groups
28139 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28140 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28142 @item zombie groups
28143 @cindex zombie groups
28144 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28147 @cindex active file
28148 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28149 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28150 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28153 @cindex bogus groups
28154 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28155 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28156 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28159 @cindex activating groups
28160 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28161 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28162 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28166 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28167 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28168 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28172 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28174 @item select method
28175 @cindex select method
28176 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28179 @item virtual server
28180 @cindex virtual server
28181 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28182 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28183 whole is a virtual server.
28187 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28188 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28191 @item ephemeral groups
28192 @cindex ephemeral groups
28193 @cindex temporary groups
28194 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28195 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28196 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28199 @cindex solid groups
28200 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28201 group buffer are solid groups.
28203 @item sparse articles
28204 @cindex sparse articles
28205 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28206 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28210 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28211 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
28215 @cindex thread root
28216 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
28217 articles in the thread.
28221 An article that has responses.
28225 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
28229 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
28230 specified by RFC 1153.
28233 @cindex splitting, terminology
28234 @cindex mail sorting
28235 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
28236 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
28237 incorrectly called mail filtering.
28243 @node Customization
28244 @section Customization
28245 @cindex general customization
28247 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
28248 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
28249 for some quite common situations.
28252 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
28253 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
28254 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
28255 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
28259 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
28260 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
28262 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
28263 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
28264 Gnus has to get from the server.
28268 @item gnus-read-active-file
28269 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
28270 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
28271 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28272 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
28273 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
28275 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
28276 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
28277 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
28278 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
28279 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
28280 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
28281 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
28282 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
28283 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
28284 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
28285 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
28287 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
28288 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
28289 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
28290 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
28291 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
28296 @node Slow Terminal Connection
28297 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
28299 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
28300 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
28301 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
28305 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
28306 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
28307 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
28308 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
28309 horizontal and vertical recentering.
28311 @item gnus-visible-headers
28312 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
28313 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
28314 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
28315 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
28317 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
28319 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
28320 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
28321 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
28324 @item gnus-use-full-window
28325 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
28326 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
28327 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
28328 want to read them anyway.
28330 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
28331 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
28335 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
28336 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
28337 lines, which might save some time.
28341 @node Little Disk Space
28342 @subsection Little Disk Space
28345 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
28346 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
28350 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
28351 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
28352 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28353 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28356 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
28357 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
28358 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28359 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28362 @item gnus-save-killed-list
28363 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
28364 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
28365 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
28366 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
28372 @subsection Slow Machine
28373 @cindex slow machine
28375 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
28376 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
28378 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28379 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
28381 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
28382 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
28383 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
28387 @node Troubleshooting
28388 @section Troubleshooting
28389 @cindex troubleshooting
28391 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
28399 Make sure your computer is switched on.
28402 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
28403 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
28407 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
28409 @samp{No Gnus v0.10} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
28411 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
28412 files lying around. Delete these.
28415 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
28416 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
28419 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
28420 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
28421 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
28422 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
28423 something like that.
28426 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
28429 @cindex reporting bugs
28431 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
28433 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
28434 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
28435 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
28436 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
28438 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
28439 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
28440 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
28441 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
28444 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
28445 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
28446 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
28447 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
28448 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
28449 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
28451 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
28452 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
28453 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
28457 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
28458 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
28461 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
28462 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
28463 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
28464 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
28465 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
28466 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
28467 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
28468 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
28469 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
28470 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
28471 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
28472 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
28473 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
28474 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
28479 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
28480 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
28481 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
28482 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
28483 helps isolating the real problem areas).
28485 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
28486 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
28487 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
28488 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
28489 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
28490 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
28491 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
28492 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
28493 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
28494 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
28495 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
28496 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
28497 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
28500 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
28501 @cindex ding mailing list
28502 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
28503 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
28504 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
28505 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
28509 @node Gnus Reference Guide
28510 @section Gnus Reference Guide
28512 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
28513 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
28514 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
28515 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
28518 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
28519 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
28520 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
28521 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
28522 and general methods of operation.
28525 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
28526 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
28527 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
28528 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
28529 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
28530 * Group Info:: The group info format.
28531 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
28532 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
28533 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
28537 @node Gnus Utility Functions
28538 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
28539 @cindex Gnus utility functions
28540 @cindex utility functions
28542 @cindex internal variables
28544 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
28545 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
28546 Below is a list of the most common ones.
28550 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
28551 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
28552 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
28554 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
28555 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
28556 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
28558 @item gnus-group-real-name
28559 @findex gnus-group-real-name
28560 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
28563 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
28564 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
28565 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
28566 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
28568 @item gnus-get-info
28569 @findex gnus-get-info
28570 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
28572 @item gnus-group-unread
28573 @findex gnus-group-unread
28574 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
28578 @findex gnus-active
28579 The active entry for @var{group}.
28581 @item gnus-set-active
28582 @findex gnus-set-active
28583 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
28585 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28586 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28587 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
28590 @item gnus-continuum-version
28591 @findex gnus-continuum-version
28592 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
28593 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
28596 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
28597 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
28598 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
28600 @item gnus-news-group-p
28601 @findex gnus-news-group-p
28602 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
28604 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28605 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28606 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
28608 @item gnus-server-to-method
28609 @findex gnus-server-to-method
28610 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
28612 @item gnus-server-equal
28613 @findex gnus-server-equal
28614 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
28616 @item gnus-group-native-p
28617 @findex gnus-group-native-p
28618 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
28620 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
28621 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
28622 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
28624 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
28625 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
28626 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
28628 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
28629 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
28630 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
28631 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
28633 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
28634 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
28635 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
28637 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
28638 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
28639 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
28641 @item gnus-check-backend-function
28642 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
28643 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
28644 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
28647 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
28651 @item gnus-read-method
28652 @findex gnus-read-method
28653 Prompts the user for a select method.
28658 @node Back End Interface
28659 @subsection Back End Interface
28661 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
28662 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
28663 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
28664 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
28665 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
28666 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
28668 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
28669 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
28670 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
28671 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
28672 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
28673 been opened, the function should fail.
28675 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
28676 name. Take this example:
28680 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
28681 (nntp-port-number 4324))
28684 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
28685 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
28687 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
28688 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
28689 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
28691 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
28692 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
28693 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
28695 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
28696 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
28697 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
28698 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
28699 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
28700 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
28703 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
28704 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
28705 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
28706 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
28709 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
28710 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
28711 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
28712 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
28713 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
28714 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
28715 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
28716 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
28717 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
28718 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
28720 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
28721 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
28722 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
28723 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
28724 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
28725 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
28726 of numbers as long as possible.
28728 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
28729 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
28730 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
28732 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
28735 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
28738 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
28739 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
28740 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
28741 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
28742 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
28743 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
28747 @node Required Back End Functions
28748 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
28752 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
28754 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
28755 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
28756 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
28757 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
28759 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
28760 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
28761 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
28762 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
28764 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
28765 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
28766 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
28767 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
28768 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
28769 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
28770 number, do maximum fetches.
28772 Here's an example HEAD:
28775 221 1056 Article retrieved.
28776 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
28777 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
28778 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
28779 Subject: Re: Something very droll
28780 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
28781 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
28783 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
28784 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
28785 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
28789 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
28790 these in the data buffer.
28792 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
28796 head = error / valid-head
28797 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
28798 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
28799 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
28800 header = <text> eol
28804 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
28806 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
28807 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
28811 nov-buffer = *nov-line
28812 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
28813 field = <text except TAB>
28816 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
28820 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
28822 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
28823 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
28825 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
28826 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
28827 server. In fact, it should do so.
28829 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
28830 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
28833 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
28835 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
28836 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
28839 There should be no data returned.
28842 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
28844 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
28845 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
28846 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
28847 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
28849 There should be no data returned.
28852 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
28854 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
28855 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
28856 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
28857 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
28859 There should be no data returned.
28862 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
28864 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
28866 There should be no data returned.
28869 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
28871 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
28872 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
28873 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
28874 it would be nice if that were possible.
28876 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
28877 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
28878 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
28879 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
28880 into its article buffer.
28882 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
28883 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
28884 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
28885 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
28886 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
28887 on successful article retrieval.
28890 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST INFO)
28892 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
28893 making @var{group} the current group.
28895 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
28898 If @var{info}, it allows the backend to update the group info
28901 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
28904 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
28907 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
28908 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
28909 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
28910 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
28911 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
28912 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
28913 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
28914 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
28915 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
28919 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
28920 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
28921 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
28925 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28927 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
28928 a no-op on most back ends.
28930 There should be no data returned.
28933 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
28935 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
28938 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
28941 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
28942 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
28945 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
28946 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
28947 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
28948 and the highest as 0.
28951 active-file = *active-line
28952 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
28954 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28957 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28958 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28959 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28962 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28964 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28965 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28966 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28967 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28968 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28969 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28971 There should be no result data from this function.
28976 @node Optional Back End Functions
28977 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28981 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28983 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28984 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28985 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28987 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28988 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28989 former is in the same format as the data from
28990 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28991 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28994 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28998 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29000 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29001 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29002 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29003 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29004 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29005 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29006 the network resources).
29008 There should be no result data from this function.
29011 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29013 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29014 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29015 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29016 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29017 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29018 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29019 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29020 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29022 There should be no result data from this function.
29025 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29027 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29028 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29029 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29030 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29031 propagate the mark information to the server.
29033 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29036 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29039 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29040 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29041 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29042 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29043 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29044 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
29045 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
29046 possible, not limit itself to these.
29048 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29049 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29050 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29051 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29053 An example action list:
29056 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29057 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29058 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29061 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29062 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29064 There should be no result data from this function.
29066 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29068 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29069 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29070 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29071 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29072 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29074 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29075 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29076 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29079 There should be no result data from this function.
29082 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29084 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29085 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29086 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29087 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29088 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29089 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29090 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29091 local if that's practical.
29093 There should be no result data from this function.
29096 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29098 The result data from this function should be a description of
29102 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29104 description = <text>
29107 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29109 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29110 groups available on the server.
29113 description-buffer = *description-line
29117 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29119 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29120 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29121 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29122 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29123 in the active buffer format.
29125 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29126 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29127 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29128 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29129 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29130 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29131 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29134 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29136 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29138 There should be no return data.
29141 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29143 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29144 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29145 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29146 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29147 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29150 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29153 There should be no result data returned.
29156 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29158 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29159 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29161 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29162 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
29163 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
29164 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
29165 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
29166 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
29168 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
29169 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29172 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29173 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29175 There should be no data returned.
29178 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29180 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29181 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29182 this function in short order.
29184 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29185 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29187 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29188 article for that group.
29190 There should be no data returned.
29193 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29195 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29196 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29198 There should be no data returned.
29201 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29203 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29204 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29205 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29207 There should be no data returned.
29210 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
29212 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
29213 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
29215 There should be no data returned.
29220 @node Error Messaging
29221 @subsubsection Error Messaging
29223 @findex nnheader-report
29224 @findex nnheader-get-report
29225 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
29226 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
29227 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
29228 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
29229 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
29230 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
29233 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
29235 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
29238 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
29239 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
29240 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
29241 takes one argument---the server symbol.
29243 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
29244 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
29245 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
29248 @node Writing New Back Ends
29249 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
29251 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
29252 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
29253 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
29254 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
29255 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
29258 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
29259 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
29260 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
29262 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
29263 package called @code{nnoo}.
29265 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
29266 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
29272 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
29273 parameters. For instance:
29276 (nnoo-declare nndir
29280 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
29281 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
29284 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
29285 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
29286 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
29288 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
29289 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
29290 a function in those back ends.
29293 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29294 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29295 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29298 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
29299 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
29300 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
29302 @item nnoo-define-basics
29303 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
29307 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29311 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
29312 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
29313 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
29315 @item nnoo-map-functions
29316 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
29317 functions from the parent back ends.
29320 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29321 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29322 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
29325 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
29326 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
29327 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
29328 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
29331 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
29332 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
29333 haven't already been defined.
29339 nnmh-request-newgroups)
29343 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
29344 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
29345 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
29350 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
29353 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
29354 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
29358 (require 'nnheader)
29362 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
29364 (nnoo-declare nndir
29367 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29368 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29369 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29371 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
29372 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
29375 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
29377 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
29378 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
29379 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
29381 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
29382 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
29384 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
29386 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29388 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
29389 (setq nndir-directory
29390 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
29392 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
29393 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
29394 (push `(nndir-current-group
29395 ,(file-name-nondirectory
29396 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29398 (push `(nndir-top-directory
29399 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29401 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
29403 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29404 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29405 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29406 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
29407 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
29411 nnmh-status-message
29413 nnmh-request-newgroups))
29419 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29420 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29422 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
29423 @findex gnus-declare-backend
29424 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
29425 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
29426 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
29428 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
29429 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
29434 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
29437 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
29439 The abilities can be:
29443 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
29445 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
29447 This back end supports both mail and news.
29449 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
29452 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
29453 articles and groups.
29455 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
29456 true for almost all back ends.
29457 @item prompt-address
29458 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
29459 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
29460 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
29464 @node Mail-like Back Ends
29465 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
29467 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
29468 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
29469 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
29470 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
29473 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
29474 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
29475 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
29478 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
29479 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
29482 This function takes four parameters.
29486 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
29489 @item exit-function
29490 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
29492 @item temp-directory
29493 Where the temporary files should be stored.
29496 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
29497 performed for one group only.
29500 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
29501 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
29502 find the article number assigned to this article.
29504 The function also uses the following variables:
29505 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
29506 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
29507 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
29508 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
29512 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
29513 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
29517 @node Score File Syntax
29518 @subsection Score File Syntax
29520 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
29521 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
29522 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
29524 Here's a typical score file:
29528 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
29535 BNF definition of a score file:
29538 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
29539 element = rule / atom
29540 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
29541 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
29542 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
29543 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
29545 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
29546 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
29547 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
29548 date-header = "date"
29549 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29550 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29551 score = "nil" / <integer>
29552 date = "nil" / <natural number>
29553 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
29554 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
29555 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
29556 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
29557 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29558 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29559 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
29560 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29561 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
29562 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
29563 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
29564 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
29565 exclude-files / read-only / touched
29566 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
29567 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
29568 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
29569 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
29570 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
29571 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
29572 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
29573 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
29574 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
29575 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
29576 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
29577 eval = "eval" space <form>
29578 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
29581 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
29584 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
29585 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
29586 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
29587 one looong line, then that's ok.
29589 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
29590 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
29594 @subsection Headers
29596 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
29597 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
29598 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
29599 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
29601 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
29602 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
29603 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
29604 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
29605 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
29606 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
29607 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
29609 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
29610 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
29611 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
29612 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
29613 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
29615 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
29616 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
29622 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
29623 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
29625 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
29626 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
29627 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
29628 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
29630 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
29634 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
29637 is transformed into
29640 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
29643 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
29644 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
29647 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
29650 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
29651 is slightly tricky:
29654 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
29660 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
29663 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
29669 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
29676 and is equal to the previous range.
29678 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
29679 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
29680 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
29684 range = simple-range / normal-range
29685 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
29686 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
29687 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
29688 number *[ " " contents ]
29691 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
29692 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
29693 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
29694 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
29695 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
29700 @subsection Group Info
29702 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
29703 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
29704 describes the group.
29706 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
29707 second is a more complex one:
29710 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
29712 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
29713 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
29715 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
29718 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
29719 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
29720 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
29721 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
29722 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
29723 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
29724 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
29725 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
29726 this section is about.
29728 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
29729 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
29730 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
29732 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
29735 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
29736 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
29737 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29738 group = quote <string> quote
29739 ralevel = rank / level
29740 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29741 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
29742 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29744 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
29745 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
29746 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
29747 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
29750 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
29751 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
29754 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
29755 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
29758 @item gnus-info-group
29759 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
29760 @findex gnus-info-group
29761 @findex gnus-info-set-group
29762 Get/set the group name.
29764 @item gnus-info-rank
29765 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
29766 @findex gnus-info-rank
29767 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
29768 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
29770 @item gnus-info-level
29771 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
29772 @findex gnus-info-level
29773 @findex gnus-info-set-level
29774 Get/set the group level.
29776 @item gnus-info-score
29777 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
29778 @findex gnus-info-score
29779 @findex gnus-info-set-score
29780 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
29782 @item gnus-info-read
29783 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
29784 @findex gnus-info-read
29785 @findex gnus-info-set-read
29786 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
29788 @item gnus-info-marks
29789 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
29790 @findex gnus-info-marks
29791 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
29792 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
29794 @item gnus-info-method
29795 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
29796 @findex gnus-info-method
29797 @findex gnus-info-set-method
29798 Get/set the group select method.
29800 @item gnus-info-params
29801 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
29802 @findex gnus-info-params
29803 @findex gnus-info-set-params
29804 Get/set the group parameters.
29807 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
29808 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
29810 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
29811 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
29812 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
29813 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
29816 @node Extended Interactive
29817 @subsection Extended Interactive
29818 @cindex interactive
29819 @findex gnus-interactive
29821 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
29822 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
29823 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
29826 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
29827 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
29832 The best thing to do would have been to implement
29833 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
29834 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
29835 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
29836 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
29837 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
29838 @code{interactive}.
29840 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
29845 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
29846 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
29850 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
29851 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
29852 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
29855 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
29859 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
29863 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
29869 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
29870 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
29874 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
29875 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
29876 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
29878 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
29879 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
29880 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
29881 Gnus, that's very useful.
29883 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
29884 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
29885 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
29886 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
29887 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
29888 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
29889 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
29890 following function:
29893 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
29897 (,function ,@@args))
29901 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
29902 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
29903 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
29906 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
29907 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
29908 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
29910 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
29911 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
29912 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
29915 @node Various File Formats
29916 @subsection Various File Formats
29919 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
29920 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
29924 @node Active File Format
29925 @subsubsection Active File Format
29927 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
29928 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
29931 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
29934 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
29935 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
29936 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
29937 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
29938 no.general 1000 900 y
29941 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
29944 active = *group-line
29945 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
29946 group = <non-white-space string>
29948 high-number = <non-negative integer>
29949 low-number = <positive integer>
29950 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
29953 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
29954 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29957 @node Newsgroups File Format
29958 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29960 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29961 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29962 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29965 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29966 Here's the definition:
29970 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29971 group = <non-white-space string>
29973 description = <string>
29978 @node Emacs for Heathens
29979 @section Emacs for Heathens
29981 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29982 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29983 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29984 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29985 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29986 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29987 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29991 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29992 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29997 @subsection Keystrokes
30001 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30004 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30007 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30008 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30009 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30010 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30011 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30012 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30014 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30015 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30016 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30017 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30018 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30019 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30020 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30022 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30023 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30024 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30025 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30026 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30027 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30028 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30030 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30031 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30032 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30033 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30034 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30040 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30042 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30043 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30044 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30045 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30047 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30048 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30049 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30050 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30051 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30052 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30053 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30054 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30055 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30056 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30058 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30059 write the following:
30062 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30065 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30066 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30067 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30068 change how Gnus works.
30070 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30071 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30072 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30073 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30074 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30076 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30077 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30078 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30082 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30086 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30089 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server-file} to
30090 @samp{/etc/nntpserver}'', that means:
30093 (setq gnus-nntp-server-file "/etc/nntpserver")
30096 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30097 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30100 @include gnus-faq.texi
30102 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30103 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30104 @include doclicense.texi
30122 @c Local Variables:
30124 @c coding: iso-8859-1