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14 Copyright @copyright{} 1995-2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
17 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
18 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
19 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
20 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
21 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
22 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
24 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
25 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
26 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
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309 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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324 @dircategory Emacs network features
326 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
335 @title Gnus Manual (DEVELOPMENT VERSION)
337 @ifclear WEBHACKDEVEL
341 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
343 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
351 @top The Gnus Newsreader
355 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
356 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
357 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
360 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
361 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.18
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
385 can even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
394 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
395 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.18
397 @heading Other related manuals
399 @item Message manual: Composing messages
400 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
401 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
402 @item PGG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
403 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
409 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
410 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
411 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
412 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
413 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
414 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
415 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
416 * Searching:: Mail and News search engines.
417 * Various:: General purpose settings.
418 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
419 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
420 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
421 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
422 * Key Index:: Key Index.
424 Other related manuals
426 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
427 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
428 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
429 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
430 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
433 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
437 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
438 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
439 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
440 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
441 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
442 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
443 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
444 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
445 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
446 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
450 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
451 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
452 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
456 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
457 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
458 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
459 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
460 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
461 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
462 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
463 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
464 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
465 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
466 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
467 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
468 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
469 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
470 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
471 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
472 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
473 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
477 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
478 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
479 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
483 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
484 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
485 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
486 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
487 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
491 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
492 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
493 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
494 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
495 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
499 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
500 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
501 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
502 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
503 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
504 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
505 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
506 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
507 * Threading:: How threads are made.
508 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
509 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
510 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
511 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
512 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
513 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
514 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
515 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
516 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
517 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
518 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
519 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
520 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
521 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
522 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
523 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
524 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
525 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
526 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
527 or reselecting the current group.
528 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
529 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
530 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
531 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
533 Summary Buffer Format
535 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
536 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
537 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
538 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
542 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
543 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
545 Reply, Followup and Post
547 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
548 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
549 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
550 * Canceling and Superseding::
554 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
555 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
556 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
557 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
558 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
559 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
563 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
564 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
566 Customizing Threading
568 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
569 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
570 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
571 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
575 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
576 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
577 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
578 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
579 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
580 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
584 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
585 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
586 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
590 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
591 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
592 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
593 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
594 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
595 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
596 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
597 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
598 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys, Gravatars
599 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
600 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
602 Alternative Approaches
604 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
605 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
607 Various Summary Stuff
609 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
610 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
611 * Summary Generation Commands::
612 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
616 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
617 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
618 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
619 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
620 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
624 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
625 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
626 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
627 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
628 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
629 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
630 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
631 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
632 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
636 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
637 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
638 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
639 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
640 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
641 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
642 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
643 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
644 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
648 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
649 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
650 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
651 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
652 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
653 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
654 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
658 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
659 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
663 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
664 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
665 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
666 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
670 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
671 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
672 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
673 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
674 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
675 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
676 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
677 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
678 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
679 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
680 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
681 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
682 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
686 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
687 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
688 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
690 Choosing a Mail Back End
692 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
693 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
694 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
695 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
696 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
697 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
698 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
703 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
704 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
705 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
709 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
710 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
711 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
712 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
713 * The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
717 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
721 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
725 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
726 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
727 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
731 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
732 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
733 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
735 The Gnus Diary Library
737 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
738 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
739 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
740 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
744 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
745 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
746 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
747 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
748 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
749 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
750 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
751 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
752 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
753 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
754 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
755 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
756 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
757 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
761 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
762 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
763 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
767 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
768 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
769 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
773 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
774 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
775 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
776 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
777 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
778 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
779 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
780 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
781 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
782 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
783 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
784 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
785 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
786 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
787 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
788 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
792 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
793 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
794 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
798 * nnir:: Searching with various engines.
799 * nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
803 * What is nnir?:: What does nnir do.
804 * Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
805 * Setting up nnir:: How to set up nnir.
809 * Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
813 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
814 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
815 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
816 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
817 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
818 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
819 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
820 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
821 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
822 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
823 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
824 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
825 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
826 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
827 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
828 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
829 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
830 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
831 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
832 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
836 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
837 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
838 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
839 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
840 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
841 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
842 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
843 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
847 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
848 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
849 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
851 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
852 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
853 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
857 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
858 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
859 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
860 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
864 * Spam Package Introduction::
865 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
866 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
867 * Spam and Ham Processors::
868 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
870 * Extending the Spam package::
871 * Spam Statistics Package::
873 Spam Statistics Package
875 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
876 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
877 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
881 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
882 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
883 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
884 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
885 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
886 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
887 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
888 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
889 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
893 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
894 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
895 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
896 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
897 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
898 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
899 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
900 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
901 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
905 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
906 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
907 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
908 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
909 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
910 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
911 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
915 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
916 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
917 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
918 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
922 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
923 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
924 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
925 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
926 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
927 * Group Info:: The group info format.
928 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
929 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
930 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
934 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
935 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
936 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
937 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
938 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
939 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
943 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
944 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
948 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
949 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
955 @chapter Starting Gnus
958 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
963 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
964 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
965 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
966 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
967 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
968 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
970 @findex gnus-other-frame
971 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
972 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
973 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
975 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
976 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
977 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
979 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
980 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
983 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
984 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
985 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
986 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
987 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
988 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
989 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
990 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
991 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
995 @node Finding the News
996 @section Finding the News
999 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
1000 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
1001 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
1002 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
1003 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
1004 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
1005 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
1006 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
1008 @vindex gnus-select-method
1010 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
1011 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1012 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1013 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1016 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1017 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1020 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1023 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1026 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1029 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1030 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1031 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1032 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1034 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1036 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1037 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1038 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1039 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1040 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1041 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1042 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1044 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1046 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1047 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1048 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1049 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1050 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1051 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1053 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1055 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1056 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1057 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1058 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1059 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1060 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1063 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1064 you would typically set this variable to
1067 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1070 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1071 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1072 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1073 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1076 @node The Server is Down
1077 @section The Server is Down
1078 @cindex server errors
1080 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1081 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1082 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1084 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1085 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1086 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1087 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1088 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1089 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1090 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1092 @findex gnus-no-server
1093 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1095 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1096 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1097 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1098 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1099 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1100 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1101 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1105 @section Slave Gnusae
1108 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1109 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1110 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1111 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1113 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1114 @file{.newsrc} file.
1116 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1117 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1118 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1119 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1120 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1121 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1122 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1125 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1126 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1127 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1128 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1129 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1130 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1131 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1132 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1134 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1135 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1137 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1138 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1139 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1140 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1141 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1148 @cindex subscription
1150 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1151 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1152 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1153 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1154 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1155 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1156 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1157 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1158 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1161 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1162 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1163 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1167 @node Checking New Groups
1168 @subsection Checking New Groups
1170 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing
1171 the list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of
1172 subscribed and dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method.
1173 If @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will
1174 ask the server for new groups since the last time. This is both
1175 faster and cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list
1176 of killed groups (@pxref{Group Levels}) altogether, so you may set
1177 @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to @code{nil}, which will save time both
1178 at startup, at exit, and all over. Saves disk space, too. Why isn't
1179 this the default, then? Unfortunately, not all servers support this
1182 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1183 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1184 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1185 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1186 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1187 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1188 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1189 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1190 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1191 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1192 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1194 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1195 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1196 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1197 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1198 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1199 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1202 @node Subscription Methods
1203 @subsection Subscription Methods
1205 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1206 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1207 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1209 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1210 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1212 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1216 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1218 Make all new groups zombies (@pxref{Group Levels}). This is the
1219 default. You can browse the zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either
1220 kill them all off properly (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them
1223 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1224 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1225 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1226 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1230 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1232 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1234 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1235 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1236 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1237 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1238 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1239 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1240 up. Or something like that.
1242 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1243 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1244 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1245 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1246 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1250 Kill all new groups.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1254 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1255 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1256 topic parameter that looks like
1262 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1265 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1271 A closely related variable is
1272 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1273 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1274 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1275 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1278 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1279 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1280 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1281 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1284 @node Filtering New Groups
1285 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1287 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1288 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1289 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1292 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1295 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1296 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1297 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1298 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1299 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1300 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1301 subscribing these groups.
1302 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1303 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1305 The ``options -n'' format is very simplistic. The syntax above is all
1306 that is supports -- you can force-subscribe hierarchies, or you can
1307 deny hierarchies, and that's it.
1309 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1310 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1311 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1312 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1313 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1314 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1315 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1316 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1318 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1319 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1320 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1321 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1322 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1323 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1324 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1325 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1326 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, @code{nnimap}, and
1327 @code{nnmaildir}) subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this
1328 variable to @code{nil}.
1330 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-categories
1331 As if that wasn't enough, @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-categories} also
1332 allows you to specify that new groups should be subcribed based on the
1333 category their select methods belong to. The default is @samp{(mail
1334 post-mail)}, meaning that all new groups from mail-like backends
1335 should be subscribed automatically.
1337 New groups that match these variables are subscribed using
1338 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1341 @node Changing Servers
1342 @section Changing Servers
1343 @cindex changing servers
1345 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1346 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1347 very flaky and you want to use another.
1349 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1350 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1354 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1355 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1356 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1357 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1360 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1361 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1362 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1363 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1367 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1368 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1369 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1371 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1372 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1373 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1374 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1375 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1376 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1377 cache for all groups).
1381 @section Startup Files
1382 @cindex startup files
1387 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1388 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1389 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1392 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1393 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1394 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1395 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1396 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1397 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1398 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1400 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1401 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1402 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1403 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1404 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1405 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1407 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1408 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1409 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1410 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1411 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1412 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1413 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1414 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1415 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1416 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1417 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1420 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1421 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1422 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1423 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1424 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1425 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1426 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1427 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1428 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1429 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1430 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1431 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1433 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1434 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1435 @vindex version-control
1436 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1437 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1438 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1439 If you want to keep multiple numbered backups of this file, set
1440 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1441 @code{version-control} variable.
1443 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1444 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1445 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1446 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1447 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1448 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1449 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1450 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1451 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1452 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1455 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1456 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1458 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1459 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1462 @vindex gnus-init-file
1463 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1464 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1465 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1466 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1467 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1468 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1469 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1470 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1471 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1472 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1473 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1474 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1475 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1480 @cindex dribble file
1483 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1484 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1485 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1486 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1487 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1490 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1491 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1494 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1495 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1496 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1498 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1499 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1500 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1501 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1502 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1503 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1505 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1506 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1507 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1510 @node The Active File
1511 @section The Active File
1513 @cindex ignored groups
1515 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1516 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1517 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1519 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1520 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1521 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1522 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1523 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1524 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1525 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1528 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1529 @c if you set it to anything else.
1531 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1533 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1534 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1535 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1537 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1538 you actually subscribe to.
1540 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1541 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1542 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1543 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1545 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1546 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1547 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1548 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1549 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1550 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1552 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1553 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1554 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1557 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1558 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1559 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1560 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1561 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1562 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1564 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1565 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1567 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1568 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1570 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1571 secondary select methods.
1574 @node Startup Variables
1575 @section Startup Variables
1579 @item gnus-load-hook
1580 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1581 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1582 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1583 times you start Gnus.
1585 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1586 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1587 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1589 @item gnus-startup-hook
1590 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1591 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1593 @item gnus-started-hook
1594 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1595 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1598 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1599 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1600 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1601 generating the group buffer.
1603 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1604 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1605 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1606 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1607 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1608 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1609 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1610 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1612 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1613 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1614 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1615 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1616 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1617 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1619 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1620 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1621 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1623 @item gnus-use-backend-marks
1624 @vindex gnus-use-backend-marks
1625 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will store article marks both in the
1626 @file{.newsrc.eld} file and in the backends. This will slow down
1627 group operation some.
1633 @chapter Group Buffer
1634 @cindex group buffer
1636 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1638 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1639 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1640 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1641 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1642 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1643 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1644 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1645 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1646 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1647 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1648 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1649 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1650 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1651 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1652 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1653 @c human rights at 9...
1656 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1657 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1658 long as Gnus is active.
1662 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1663 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1664 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1665 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1666 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1667 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1668 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1669 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1675 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1676 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1677 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1678 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1679 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1680 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1681 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1682 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1683 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1684 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1685 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1686 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1687 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1688 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1689 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1690 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1691 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1692 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1696 @node Group Buffer Format
1697 @section Group Buffer Format
1700 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1701 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1702 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1705 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1706 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1709 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1710 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1711 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1712 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1715 @node Group Line Specification
1716 @subsection Group Line Specification
1717 @cindex group buffer format
1719 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1720 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1722 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1725 25: news.announce.newusers
1726 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1731 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1732 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1733 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1734 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1736 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1737 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1738 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1739 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1740 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1741 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1743 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1745 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1746 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1747 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1748 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1749 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1751 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1752 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1753 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1755 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1760 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1763 Whether the group is subscribed.
1766 Level of subscribedness.
1769 Number of unread articles.
1772 Number of dormant articles.
1775 Number of ticked articles.
1778 Number of read articles.
1781 Number of unseen articles.
1784 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1785 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1787 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1788 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1789 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1790 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1791 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1792 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1793 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1795 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1796 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1797 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1798 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1799 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1800 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1801 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1804 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1807 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1816 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1817 comment element in the group parameters.
1820 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1821 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1822 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1826 @samp{m} if moderated.
1829 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1835 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1841 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1845 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1848 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1849 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1850 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1851 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1852 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1855 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1857 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1861 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1864 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1868 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1869 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1870 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1871 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1874 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1875 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1876 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1877 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1878 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1879 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1884 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1885 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1886 group, or a bogus native group.
1889 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1890 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1891 @cindex group mode line
1893 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1894 The mode line can be changed by setting
1895 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1896 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1900 The native news server.
1902 The native select method.
1906 @node Group Highlighting
1907 @subsection Group Highlighting
1908 @cindex highlighting
1909 @cindex group highlighting
1911 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1912 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1913 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1914 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1915 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1917 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1921 (cond (window-system
1922 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1923 (defface my-group-face-1
1924 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-2
1926 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1927 "Second group face")
1928 (defface my-group-face-3
1929 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1930 (defface my-group-face-4
1931 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1932 (defface my-group-face-5
1933 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1935 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1936 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1937 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1938 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1939 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1940 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1943 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1945 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1952 The number of unread articles in the group.
1956 Whether the group is a mail group.
1958 The level of the group.
1960 The score of the group.
1962 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1964 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1965 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1967 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1968 topic being inserted.
1971 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1972 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1973 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1975 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1976 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1977 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1978 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
1981 @node Group Maneuvering
1982 @section Group Maneuvering
1983 @cindex group movement
1985 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1986 expected, hopefully.
1992 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1993 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1994 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2000 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2001 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2002 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2006 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2007 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2011 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2012 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2016 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2017 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2018 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2022 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2023 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2024 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2027 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2033 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2034 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2035 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2040 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2041 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2042 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2046 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2047 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2048 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2051 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2052 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2053 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2054 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2057 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2058 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2059 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2060 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2063 @node Selecting a Group
2064 @section Selecting a Group
2065 @cindex group selection
2070 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2071 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2072 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2073 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2074 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2075 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2076 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2077 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2078 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2079 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2081 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2082 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2083 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2085 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2086 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2091 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2092 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2093 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2094 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2095 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2099 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2100 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2101 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2102 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2103 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2104 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2105 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2106 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2107 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2108 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2111 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2112 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2113 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2114 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2115 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2118 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2119 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2120 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2121 doing any processing of its contents
2122 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2123 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2124 manner will have no permanent effects.
2128 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2129 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2130 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2131 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2132 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2133 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2134 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2135 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2136 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2137 most recently will be fetched.
2139 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2140 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2141 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2144 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2145 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2146 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2147 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2148 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2149 are actually only the articles 1-10 and 29999900-30000000, Gnus doesn't
2150 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2151 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2152 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2153 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2154 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2155 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2156 get only the articles 29990001-30000000 (if the latest article number is
2157 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2158 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2159 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2160 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2162 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2163 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2164 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2165 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2166 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2167 Which article this is controlled by the
2168 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2174 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2177 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2180 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2182 @item unseen-or-unread
2183 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2184 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2188 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2192 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2193 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2195 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2196 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2197 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2198 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2202 @node Subscription Commands
2203 @section Subscription Commands
2204 @cindex subscription
2206 The following commands allow for managing your subscriptions in the
2207 Group buffer. If you want to subscribe to many groups, it's probably
2208 more convenient to go to the @ref{Server Buffer}, and choose the
2209 server there using @kbd{RET} or @kbd{SPC}. Then you'll have the
2210 commands listed in @ref{Browse Foreign Server} at hand.
2218 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2219 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2220 Toggle subscription to the current group
2221 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2227 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2228 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2229 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2230 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2236 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2237 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2238 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2244 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2245 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2248 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2249 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2250 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2251 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2252 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2258 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2259 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2263 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2264 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2267 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2268 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2269 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2270 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2271 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2272 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2273 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2274 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2275 @file{.newsrc} file.
2279 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2289 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2290 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2291 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2292 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2293 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2294 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2299 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2300 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2301 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2305 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2306 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2307 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2309 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2310 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2311 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2312 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2313 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2314 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2321 @section Group Levels
2325 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2326 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2327 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2328 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2329 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2331 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2337 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2338 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2339 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2340 prompted for a level.
2343 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2344 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2345 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2346 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2347 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2348 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2349 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2350 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2351 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2352 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2353 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2354 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2355 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2356 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2357 reasons of efficiency.
2359 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2360 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2362 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2363 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2364 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2365 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2366 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2367 groups are hidden, in a way.
2369 @cindex zombie groups
2370 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2371 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2372 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2373 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2374 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2375 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2377 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2378 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2379 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2380 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2381 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2382 list of killed groups.)
2384 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2385 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2386 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2388 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2389 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2390 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2391 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2392 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2393 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2394 relevant valid ranges.
2396 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2397 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2398 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2399 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2400 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2401 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2404 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2405 one with the best level.
2407 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2408 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2409 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2411 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2412 be called and the result will be used as value.
2415 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2416 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2417 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2418 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2421 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2422 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2423 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2424 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2426 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2427 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2428 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2429 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2430 to 5. The default is 6.
2434 @section Group Score
2439 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2440 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2441 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2444 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2445 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2446 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2447 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2448 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2449 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2450 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2451 least significant part.))
2453 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2454 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2455 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2456 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2457 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2458 action after each summary exit, you can add
2459 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2460 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2461 slow things down somewhat.
2464 @node Marking Groups
2465 @section Marking Groups
2466 @cindex marking groups
2468 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2469 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2470 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2471 bidding on those groups.
2473 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2474 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2475 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2483 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2484 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2491 Remove the mark from the current group
2492 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2497 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2501 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2502 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2506 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2507 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2512 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2513 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2516 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2518 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2519 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2520 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2521 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2522 the command to be executed.
2525 @node Foreign Groups
2526 @section Foreign Groups
2527 @cindex foreign groups
2529 If you recall how to subscribe to servers (@pxref{Finding the News})
2530 you will remember that @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} and
2531 @code{gnus-select-method} let you write a definition in Emacs Lisp of
2532 what servers you want to see when you start up. The alternate
2533 approach is to use foreign servers and groups. ``Foreign'' here means
2534 they are not coming from the select methods. All foreign server
2535 configuration and subscriptions are stored only in the
2536 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file.
2538 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2539 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2540 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2541 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2544 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2545 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2546 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2552 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2553 @cindex making groups
2554 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2555 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2556 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2560 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2561 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2562 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2566 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2567 @cindex renaming groups
2568 Rename the current group to something else
2569 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2570 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2576 @findex gnus-group-customize
2577 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2581 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2582 @cindex renaming groups
2583 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2584 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2588 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2589 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2590 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2594 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2595 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2596 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2600 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2602 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2603 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2608 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2609 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2613 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2615 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2616 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2617 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2621 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2622 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2624 Make a group based on some file or other
2625 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2626 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2627 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2628 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2629 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2630 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2631 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2632 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2633 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2637 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2638 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2639 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2640 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2644 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2648 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2649 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2650 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2651 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2652 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2653 @xref{Web Searches}.
2655 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2656 to a particular group by using a match string like
2657 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2661 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2662 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2663 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2667 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2668 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2669 This function will delete the current group
2670 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2671 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2672 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2673 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2674 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2678 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2679 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2680 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2684 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2685 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2686 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2689 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2692 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2693 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2694 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2695 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2696 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2697 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2701 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2702 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2705 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2706 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2707 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2708 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2709 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2710 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2713 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2714 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2715 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2716 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2717 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include e.g.
2718 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2719 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2720 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2721 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2722 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2724 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2725 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2726 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2727 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2728 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2730 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2731 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2732 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2733 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2736 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2744 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2745 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2746 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2750 @node Group Parameters
2751 @section Group Parameters
2752 @cindex group parameters
2754 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2756 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2757 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2758 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2759 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2760 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2761 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2762 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2764 Here's an example group parameter list:
2767 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2771 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2772 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2773 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2774 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2776 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2777 is an alist of regexps and values.
2779 The following group parameters can be used:
2784 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2787 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2790 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2791 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2792 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2793 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2794 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2796 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2797 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2798 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2799 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2800 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2801 list address instead.
2803 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2807 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2810 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2813 It is totally ignored
2814 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2815 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2817 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2818 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2819 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2820 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2821 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2823 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2824 @cindex mail list groups
2825 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2826 entering summary buffer.
2828 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2833 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2834 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2835 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2836 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2837 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2838 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2839 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2840 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2843 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2844 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2847 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2848 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2852 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2853 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2854 of whether it has any unread articles.
2856 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2857 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2859 @item broken-reply-to
2860 @cindex broken-reply-to
2861 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2862 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2863 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2864 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2865 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2866 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2870 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2871 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2875 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2876 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2877 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2882 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2883 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2884 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2885 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2886 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2887 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2888 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2890 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2891 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2892 doesn't accept articles.
2896 @cindex expiring mail
2897 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2898 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2899 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2901 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2904 @cindex total-expire
2905 @cindex expiring mail
2906 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2907 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2908 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2909 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2912 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2916 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2917 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2918 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2919 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2920 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2921 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2922 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2925 @cindex expiry-target
2926 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2927 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2930 @cindex score file group parameter
2931 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2932 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2933 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2936 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2937 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2938 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2939 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2942 @cindex admin-address
2943 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2944 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2945 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2946 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2950 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2951 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2955 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2958 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2959 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2962 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2966 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2968 Here are some examples:
2972 Display only unread articles.
2975 Display everything except expirable articles.
2977 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2978 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2982 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2983 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2984 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2985 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2986 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2990 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2991 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2992 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2996 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2997 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2998 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
3002 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
3003 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
3004 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
3006 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
3008 @item ignored-charsets
3009 @cindex ignored-charset
3010 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
3011 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
3012 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
3014 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
3017 @cindex posting-style
3018 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3019 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3020 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3021 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3022 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3024 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3025 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3026 like this in the group parameters:
3031 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3032 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3035 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3036 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3037 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3038 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3039 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3040 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3046 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3047 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3051 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3052 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3053 mail source for this group.
3057 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3058 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3059 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3060 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3061 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3065 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3066 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3067 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3068 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3070 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3071 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3072 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3073 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3076 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3077 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3081 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3082 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3083 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3084 like the following is generated:
3087 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3088 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3092 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3093 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3095 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3096 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3098 @item (agent parameters)
3099 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of its parameters to
3100 control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3101 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3102 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3103 minimize the configuration effort.
3105 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3106 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3107 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3108 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3109 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3110 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3111 @code{eval}ed there.
3113 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3114 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3115 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3116 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3117 form needs to be set to it.
3119 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3120 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3121 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3122 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3123 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3124 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3125 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3128 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3131 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3132 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3133 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3136 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3139 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3140 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3141 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3142 into the group parameters for the group.
3144 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3145 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3146 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3147 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3148 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3150 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3151 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3152 following is added to a group parameter
3155 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3156 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3159 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3164 @vindex gnus-parameters
3165 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3166 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3167 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3171 (setq gnus-parameters
3173 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3174 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3175 (gnus-summary-line-format
3176 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3180 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3184 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3188 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3191 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3192 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3194 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3195 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3196 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3197 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3198 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3199 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3200 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3201 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3202 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3203 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3204 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3205 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3207 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3208 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3209 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3210 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3211 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3212 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3213 weekly news RSS feed
3214 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3220 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3221 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3222 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3223 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3224 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3226 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3227 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3228 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3229 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3230 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3231 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3235 @node Listing Groups
3236 @section Listing Groups
3237 @cindex group listing
3239 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3247 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3248 List all groups that have unread articles
3249 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3250 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3251 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3252 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3259 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3260 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3261 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3262 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3263 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3264 unsubscribed groups).
3268 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3269 List all unread groups on a specific level
3270 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3271 with no unread articles.
3275 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3276 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3277 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3278 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3283 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3284 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3288 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3289 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3290 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3294 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3295 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3299 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3300 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3301 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3302 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3303 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3304 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3305 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3306 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3310 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3311 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3312 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3316 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3317 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3318 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3322 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3323 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3327 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3328 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3332 @findex gnus-group-list-ticked
3333 List all groups with ticked articles (@code{gnus-group-list-ticked}).
3337 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3338 List groups limited within the current selection
3339 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3343 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3344 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3348 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3349 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3353 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3354 @cindex visible group parameter
3355 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3356 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3357 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3358 get the same effect.
3360 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3361 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3362 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3363 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3364 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3367 @node Sorting Groups
3368 @section Sorting Groups
3369 @cindex sorting groups
3371 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3372 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3373 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3374 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3375 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3376 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3381 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3382 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3383 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3385 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3386 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3387 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3389 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3390 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3391 Sort by group level.
3393 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3394 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3395 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3397 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3398 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3399 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3400 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3402 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3403 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3404 Sort by number of unread articles.
3406 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3407 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3408 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3410 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3411 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3412 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3417 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3418 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3422 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3423 some sorting criteria:
3427 @kindex G S a (Group)
3428 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3429 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3430 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3433 @kindex G S u (Group)
3434 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3435 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3436 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3439 @kindex G S l (Group)
3440 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3441 Sort the group buffer by group level
3442 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3445 @kindex G S v (Group)
3446 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3447 Sort the group buffer by group score
3448 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3451 @kindex G S r (Group)
3452 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3453 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3454 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3457 @kindex G S m (Group)
3458 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3459 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3460 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3463 @kindex G S n (Group)
3464 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3465 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3466 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3470 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3471 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3473 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3474 commands will sort in reverse order.
3476 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3480 @kindex G P a (Group)
3481 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3482 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3483 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3486 @kindex G P u (Group)
3487 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3488 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3489 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3492 @kindex G P l (Group)
3493 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3494 Sort the groups by group level
3495 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3498 @kindex G P v (Group)
3499 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3500 Sort the groups by group score
3501 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3504 @kindex G P r (Group)
3505 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3506 Sort the groups by group rank
3507 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3510 @kindex G P m (Group)
3511 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3512 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3513 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3516 @kindex G P n (Group)
3517 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3518 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3519 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3522 @kindex G P s (Group)
3523 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3524 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3528 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3532 @node Group Maintenance
3533 @section Group Maintenance
3534 @cindex bogus groups
3539 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3540 Find bogus groups and delete them
3541 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3545 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3546 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3547 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3548 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3549 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3553 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3554 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3555 @cindex expiring mail
3556 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3557 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3558 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3559 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3562 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3563 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3564 @cindex expiring mail
3565 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3566 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3571 @node Browse Foreign Server
3572 @section Browse Foreign Server
3573 @cindex foreign servers
3574 @cindex browsing servers
3579 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3580 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3581 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3582 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3585 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3586 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3587 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3588 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3590 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3595 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3596 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3600 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3601 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3604 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3605 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3606 Enter the current group and display the first article
3607 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3610 @kindex RET (Browse)
3611 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3612 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3616 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3617 @vindex gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method
3618 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3619 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}). You
3620 can affect the way the new group is entered into the Group buffer
3621 using the variable @code{gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method}. See
3622 @pxref{Subscription Methods} for available options.
3628 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3629 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3633 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3634 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3638 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3639 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3640 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3645 @section Exiting Gnus
3646 @cindex exiting Gnus
3648 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3653 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3654 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3655 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3656 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3660 @findex gnus-group-exit
3661 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3662 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3666 @findex gnus-group-quit
3667 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3668 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3671 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3672 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3673 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3674 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3675 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3676 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3682 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3683 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3684 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3690 @section Group Topics
3693 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3694 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3695 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3696 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3697 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3698 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3702 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3703 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3714 2: alt.religion.emacs
3717 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3719 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3720 13: comp.sources.unix
3723 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3725 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3726 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3727 is a toggling command.)
3729 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3730 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3731 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3732 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3735 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3736 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3737 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3740 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3744 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3745 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3746 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3747 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3748 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3752 @node Topic Commands
3753 @subsection Topic Commands
3754 @cindex topic commands
3756 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3757 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3758 definitions slightly.
3760 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3761 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3762 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3763 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3764 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3765 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3767 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3774 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3775 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3776 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3780 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3782 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3783 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3784 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3785 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3788 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3789 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3790 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3791 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3795 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3796 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3797 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3798 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3804 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3805 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3806 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3810 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3811 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3812 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3815 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3816 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3817 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3818 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3819 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3821 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3822 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3826 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3827 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3834 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3836 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3837 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3838 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3839 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3840 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3841 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3845 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3851 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3852 Move the current group to some other topic
3853 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3854 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3858 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3859 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3863 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3864 Copy the current group to some other topic
3865 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3866 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3870 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3871 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3872 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3876 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3877 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3878 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3882 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3883 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3884 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3885 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3886 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3887 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3888 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3891 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3892 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3896 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3897 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3898 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3902 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3903 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3904 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3908 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3909 Toggle hiding empty topics
3910 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3914 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3915 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3916 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3917 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3920 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3921 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3922 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3923 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3924 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3927 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3928 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3929 @cindex expiring mail
3930 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3931 expiry process (if any)
3932 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3936 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3937 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3940 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3941 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3942 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3946 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3947 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3948 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3951 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3952 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3953 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3956 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3957 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3958 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3962 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3963 @cindex group parameters
3964 @cindex topic parameters
3966 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3967 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3972 @node Topic Variables
3973 @subsection Topic Variables
3974 @cindex topic variables
3976 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3977 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3979 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3980 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3981 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3994 Number of groups in the topic.
3996 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3998 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
4001 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
4002 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
4003 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
4006 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
4007 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
4009 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
4010 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
4011 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
4015 @subsection Topic Sorting
4016 @cindex topic sorting
4018 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4024 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4025 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4026 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4027 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4030 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4031 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4032 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4033 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4036 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4037 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4038 Sort the current topic by group level
4039 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4042 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4043 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4044 Sort the current topic by group score
4045 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4048 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4049 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4050 Sort the current topic by group rank
4051 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4054 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4055 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4056 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4057 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4060 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4061 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4062 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4063 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4066 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4067 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4068 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4069 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4070 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4074 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4075 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4079 @node Topic Topology
4080 @subsection Topic Topology
4081 @cindex topic topology
4084 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4091 2: alt.religion.emacs
4094 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4096 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4097 13: comp.sources.unix
4101 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4102 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4103 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4108 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4109 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4113 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4114 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4115 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4116 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4117 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4118 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4120 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4121 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4122 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4125 @node Topic Parameters
4126 @subsection Topic Parameters
4127 @cindex topic parameters
4129 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4130 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4131 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4132 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4133 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4135 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4140 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4141 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4142 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4145 @item subscribe-level
4146 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4147 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4148 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4152 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4153 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4154 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4155 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4162 2: alt.religion.emacs
4166 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4168 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4169 13: comp.sources.unix
4174 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4175 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4176 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4177 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4178 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4179 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4181 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4182 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4183 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4184 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4185 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4187 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4188 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4189 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4190 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4191 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4192 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4193 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4194 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4197 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4198 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4199 @cindex non-ascii group names
4201 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4202 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4203 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4204 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4205 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4206 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4207 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4210 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4211 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4212 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4213 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4214 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4215 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4216 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4217 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4220 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4221 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4222 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4223 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4224 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4227 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4228 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4231 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4232 ones specified for the same groups with the
4233 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4235 A select method can be very long, like:
4239 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4240 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4241 (nntp-open-connection-function
4242 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4243 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4244 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4245 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4246 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4249 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4250 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4253 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4254 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4255 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4256 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4257 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4258 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4261 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4262 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4266 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4267 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4270 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4271 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4272 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4273 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4274 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4275 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4277 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4281 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4282 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4283 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4284 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4285 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4286 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4288 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the @acronym{NNTP}
4289 marks feature (@pxref{NNTP marks}), the agent, and the cache use
4290 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and directories. This
4291 variable overrides the value of @code{file-name-coding-system} which
4292 specifies the coding system used when encoding and decoding those file
4293 names and directory names.
4295 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4296 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4297 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4298 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4299 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4300 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4302 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4303 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4304 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4305 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4307 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4308 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4309 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4310 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4312 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4313 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4314 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4315 typical case where you have to customize
4316 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4317 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4318 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4319 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4322 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4323 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4324 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4325 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4328 @node Misc Group Stuff
4329 @section Misc Group Stuff
4332 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4333 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4334 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4335 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4336 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4343 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
4344 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4345 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4348 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
4351 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
4354 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
4355 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
4359 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4360 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4361 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4365 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4366 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4367 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4368 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4369 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4370 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4371 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4375 @findex gnus-group-mail
4376 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4377 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4378 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4379 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4383 @findex gnus-group-news
4384 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4385 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4386 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4388 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4389 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4390 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4391 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4392 for this to work though.
4396 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
4398 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
4399 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
4400 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
4405 Variables for the group buffer:
4409 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4410 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4411 is called after the group buffer has been
4414 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4415 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4416 is called after the group buffer is
4417 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4420 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4421 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4422 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4423 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4425 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4426 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4427 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4428 whether they are empty or not.
4432 @node Scanning New Messages
4433 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4434 @cindex new messages
4435 @cindex scanning new news
4441 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4442 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4443 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4444 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4445 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4446 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4451 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4452 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4453 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4454 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4455 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4456 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4457 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4459 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4460 @cindex activating groups
4462 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4463 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4468 @findex gnus-group-restart
4469 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4470 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4471 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4475 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4476 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4478 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4479 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4483 @node Group Information
4484 @subsection Group Information
4485 @cindex group information
4486 @cindex information on groups
4493 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4494 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4497 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4498 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4499 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4500 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4501 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4502 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4503 used for fetching the file.
4505 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4506 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4510 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4512 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4513 @cindex describing groups
4514 @cindex group description
4515 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4516 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4517 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4521 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4522 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4523 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4530 @findex gnus-version
4531 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4535 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4536 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4539 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4542 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4543 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4547 @node Group Timestamp
4548 @subsection Group Timestamp
4550 @cindex group timestamps
4552 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4553 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4554 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4557 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4560 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4562 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4563 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4566 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4567 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4570 This will result in lines looking like:
4573 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4574 0: custom 19961002T012713
4577 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4578 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4582 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4583 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4586 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4587 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4591 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4592 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4593 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4594 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4596 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4602 @subsection File Commands
4603 @cindex file commands
4609 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4610 @vindex gnus-init-file
4611 @cindex reading init file
4612 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4613 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4617 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4618 @cindex saving .newsrc
4619 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4620 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4621 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4624 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4625 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4626 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4631 @node Sieve Commands
4632 @subsection Sieve Commands
4633 @cindex group sieve commands
4635 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4636 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4637 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4638 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4639 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4641 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4642 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4643 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4644 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4645 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4646 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4647 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4648 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4649 regenerate the Sieve script.
4651 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4652 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4653 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4654 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4655 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4656 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4657 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4658 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4659 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4660 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4663 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4664 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4669 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4675 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4676 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4677 @cindex generating sieve script
4678 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4679 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4683 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4684 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4685 @cindex updating sieve script
4686 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4687 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4688 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4693 @node Summary Buffer
4694 @chapter Summary Buffer
4695 @cindex summary buffer
4697 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4698 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4700 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4701 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4703 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4705 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
4706 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
4710 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
4711 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4712 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4714 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
4718 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4719 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4720 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4721 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4722 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4723 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4724 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4725 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4726 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4727 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4728 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4729 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4730 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4731 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
4732 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4733 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4734 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4735 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4736 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4737 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4738 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4739 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4740 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4741 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4742 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4743 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4744 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4745 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4746 or reselecting the current group.
4747 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4748 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4749 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4750 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4754 @node Summary Buffer Format
4755 @section Summary Buffer Format
4756 @cindex summary buffer format
4760 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4761 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4762 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4768 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4769 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4770 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4771 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4774 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4775 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4776 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4777 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4778 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4779 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4780 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4781 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4782 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4783 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4784 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4787 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4788 'mail-extract-address-components)
4791 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4792 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4793 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4794 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4797 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4798 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4800 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4801 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4802 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4803 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4804 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4806 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4807 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4808 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4809 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4810 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4811 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4813 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4815 The following format specification characters and extended format
4816 specification(s) are understood:
4822 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4823 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4825 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4826 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4827 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4829 Full @code{From} header.
4831 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4833 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4836 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4837 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4838 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4839 may be more thorough.
4841 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4844 Number of lines in the article.
4846 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4847 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4849 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4850 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4852 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4854 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4855 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4868 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4869 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4870 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4871 line-drawing glyphs.
4873 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4874 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4875 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4876 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4878 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4879 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4880 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4881 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4883 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4884 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4885 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4886 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4888 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4889 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4890 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4892 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4893 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4894 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4896 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4897 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4898 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4900 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4901 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4902 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4907 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4908 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4910 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4911 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4913 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4914 for adopted articles.
4916 One space for each thread level.
4918 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4920 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4923 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4924 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4925 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4928 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4930 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4931 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4932 default level. If the difference between
4933 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4934 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4942 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4944 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4950 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4951 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4953 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4954 article has any children.
4960 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
4962 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4963 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4965 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4966 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4967 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4968 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4969 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4970 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4973 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4974 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4975 There can only be one such area.
4977 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4978 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4979 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4980 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4981 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4982 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4984 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4985 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4987 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4990 @node To From Newsgroups
4991 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4995 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4996 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4997 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4998 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4999 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
5003 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
5004 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
5005 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5009 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5010 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5013 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5014 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5017 @findex gnus-extra-header
5018 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5019 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5020 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5023 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5027 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5028 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5029 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5030 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5031 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5032 headers are used instead.
5034 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5035 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5036 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5037 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5038 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5039 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5043 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5044 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5045 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5046 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5047 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5048 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
5051 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5052 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5053 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5054 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5056 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5060 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5062 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5063 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5064 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5065 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5069 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5072 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5073 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5076 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5077 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5078 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5084 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5085 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5088 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5089 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5091 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5092 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5093 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5094 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5096 Here are the elements you can play with:
5102 Unprefixed group name.
5104 Current article number.
5106 Current article score.
5110 Number of unread articles in this group.
5112 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5115 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5116 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5117 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5118 and no unselected ones.
5120 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5121 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5123 Subject of the current article.
5125 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5127 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5129 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5131 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5133 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5135 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5139 @node Summary Highlighting
5140 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5144 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5145 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5146 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5147 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5148 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5150 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5151 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5152 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5153 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5155 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5156 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5157 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5158 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5160 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5161 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5162 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5163 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5164 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5165 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5168 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5169 ((> score default) . bold))
5171 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5172 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5176 @node Summary Maneuvering
5177 @section Summary Maneuvering
5178 @cindex summary movement
5180 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5181 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5183 None of these commands select articles.
5188 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5189 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5190 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5191 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5192 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5196 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5197 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5199 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5200 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5203 @kindex G g (Summary)
5204 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5205 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5206 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5209 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5210 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5211 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5212 to the group buffer.
5214 Variables related to summary movement:
5218 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5219 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5220 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5221 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5222 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5223 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5224 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5225 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5226 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5227 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5228 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5229 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5230 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5231 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5233 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5234 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5235 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5236 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5237 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5238 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5239 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5241 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5243 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5244 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5245 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5246 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5247 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5249 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5250 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5251 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5252 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5253 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5254 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5255 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5256 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5259 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5260 the given number of lines from the top.
5262 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5263 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5264 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
5265 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
5270 @node Choosing Articles
5271 @section Choosing Articles
5272 @cindex selecting articles
5275 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5276 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5280 @node Choosing Commands
5281 @subsection Choosing Commands
5283 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5284 and they all select and display an article.
5286 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5287 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5291 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5293 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5294 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5296 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5297 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5298 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5303 @kindex G n (Summary)
5304 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5305 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5306 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5311 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5312 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5313 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5318 @kindex G N (Summary)
5319 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5320 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5325 @kindex G P (Summary)
5326 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5327 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5330 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5331 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5332 Go to the next article with the same subject
5333 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5336 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5337 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5338 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5339 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5343 @kindex G f (Summary)
5345 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5346 Go to the first unread article
5347 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5351 @kindex G b (Summary)
5353 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5354 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5355 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5356 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5361 @kindex G l (Summary)
5362 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5363 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5366 @kindex G o (Summary)
5367 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5369 @cindex article history
5370 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5371 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5372 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5373 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5374 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5375 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5380 @kindex G j (Summary)
5381 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5382 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5383 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5388 @node Choosing Variables
5389 @subsection Choosing Variables
5391 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5394 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5395 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5396 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5397 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5398 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5399 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5401 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5402 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5403 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5404 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5405 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5408 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5409 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5410 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5411 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5412 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5413 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5414 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5415 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5416 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5417 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5418 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5419 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5420 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5421 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5426 @node Paging the Article
5427 @section Scrolling the Article
5428 @cindex article scrolling
5433 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5435 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5436 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5437 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5439 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5440 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5441 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5442 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5443 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5444 what is considered uninteresting with
5445 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5446 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5449 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5450 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5451 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5454 @kindex RET (Summary)
5455 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5456 Scroll the current article one line forward
5457 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5460 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5461 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5462 Scroll the current article one line backward
5463 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5467 @kindex A g (Summary)
5469 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5470 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5471 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5472 given a prefix, show a completely ``raw'' article, just the way it
5473 came from the server. If given a prefix twice (i.e., @kbd{C-u C-u
5474 g'}), fetch the current article, but don't run any of the article
5475 treatment functions.
5477 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
5478 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5479 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5480 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5483 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5488 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5493 @kindex A < (Summary)
5494 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5495 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5496 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5501 @kindex A > (Summary)
5502 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5503 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5507 @kindex A s (Summary)
5509 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5510 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5511 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5515 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5516 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5521 @node Reply Followup and Post
5522 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5525 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5526 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5527 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5528 * Canceling and Superseding::
5532 @node Summary Mail Commands
5533 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5535 @cindex composing mail
5537 Commands for composing a mail message:
5543 @kindex S r (Summary)
5545 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5546 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5547 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5548 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5549 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5554 @kindex S R (Summary)
5555 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5556 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5557 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5558 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5559 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5562 @kindex S w (Summary)
5563 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5564 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5565 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5566 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5567 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5568 present, that's used instead.
5571 @kindex S W (Summary)
5572 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5573 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5574 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5575 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
5576 first article to determine the recipients.
5579 @kindex S L (Summary)
5580 @findex gnus-summary-reply-to-list-with-original
5581 When replying to a message from a mailing list, send a reply to that
5582 message to the mailing list, and include the original message
5583 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-to-list-with-original}).
5586 @kindex S v (Summary)
5587 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5588 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5589 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5590 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5591 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5592 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5595 @kindex S V (Summary)
5596 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5597 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5598 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5599 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5602 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5604 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5605 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5606 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5607 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5608 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5609 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5612 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5613 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5614 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5615 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5616 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5620 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5621 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5622 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5623 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5624 Forward the current article to some other person
5625 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5626 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5627 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5628 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5629 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5630 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5631 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5632 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5633 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5639 @kindex S m (Summary)
5640 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5641 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5642 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5643 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5644 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5647 @kindex S i (Summary)
5648 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5649 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5650 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5651 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5653 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5654 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5655 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5656 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5657 for this to work though.
5660 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5661 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5662 @cindex bouncing mail
5663 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5664 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5665 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5666 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5667 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5668 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5669 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5670 very well fail, though.
5673 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5674 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5675 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5676 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5677 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5678 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5679 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5680 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5681 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5682 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5684 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5685 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5686 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5687 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5688 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5690 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5691 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5694 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5695 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5697 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5698 if it were a new message before resending.
5701 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5703 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5704 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5705 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5708 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5709 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5710 @cindex crossposting
5711 @cindex excessive crossposting
5712 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5713 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5715 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5716 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5717 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5718 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5719 command understands the process/prefix convention
5720 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5724 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5725 Manual}, for more information.
5728 @node Summary Post Commands
5729 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5731 @cindex composing news
5733 Commands for posting a news article:
5739 @kindex S p (Summary)
5740 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5741 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5742 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5743 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5744 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5749 @kindex S f (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5751 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5752 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5756 @kindex S F (Summary)
5758 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5759 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5760 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5761 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5762 process/prefix convention.
5765 @kindex S n (Summary)
5766 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5767 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5768 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5771 @kindex S N (Summary)
5772 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5773 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5774 message through mail and include the original message
5775 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5776 the process/prefix convention.
5779 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5780 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5781 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5782 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5783 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5784 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5785 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5786 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5787 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5788 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5789 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5790 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5791 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5794 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5795 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5797 @cindex making digests
5798 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5799 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5800 process/prefix convention.
5803 @kindex S u (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5805 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5806 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5807 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5810 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5811 Manual}, for more information.
5814 @node Summary Message Commands
5815 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5819 @kindex S y (Summary)
5820 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5821 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5822 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5823 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5824 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5829 @node Canceling and Superseding
5830 @subsection Canceling Articles
5831 @cindex canceling articles
5832 @cindex superseding articles
5834 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5835 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5837 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5839 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5841 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5842 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5843 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5844 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5845 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5846 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5848 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5849 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5852 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5853 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5854 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5856 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5857 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5858 message, Message Manual}).
5860 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5861 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5862 your original article.
5864 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5866 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5867 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5868 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5871 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5872 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5873 have posted almost the same article twice.
5875 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5876 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5877 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5878 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5879 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5880 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5881 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5882 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5883 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5884 canceled/superseded.
5886 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5888 @node Delayed Articles
5889 @section Delayed Articles
5890 @cindex delayed sending
5891 @cindex send delayed
5893 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5894 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5895 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5896 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5899 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5902 @findex gnus-delay-article
5903 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5904 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5905 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5906 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5910 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5911 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5912 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5913 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5916 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5917 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5918 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5921 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5922 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5923 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5924 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5925 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5926 that means a time tomorrow.
5929 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5930 couple of variables:
5933 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5934 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5935 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5936 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5938 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5939 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5940 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5941 formats described above.
5943 @item gnus-delay-group
5944 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5945 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5946 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5947 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5949 @item gnus-delay-header
5950 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5951 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5952 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5953 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5956 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5957 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5958 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5959 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5960 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5962 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5963 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5964 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5965 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5966 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5967 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5968 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5971 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5972 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5973 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5974 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5975 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5976 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5977 argument is ignored.
5979 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5980 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5981 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5984 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
5985 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
5986 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
5987 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
5988 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
5991 @node Marking Articles
5992 @section Marking Articles
5993 @cindex article marking
5994 @cindex article ticking
5997 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5999 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
6000 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
6001 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
6003 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
6006 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6010 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6011 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6012 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6013 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6014 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6015 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6019 @node Unread Articles
6020 @subsection Unread Articles
6022 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6027 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6028 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6030 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6031 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6032 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6033 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6034 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6035 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6036 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6039 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6040 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6042 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6043 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6044 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6045 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6049 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6050 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6052 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6057 @subsection Read Articles
6058 @cindex expirable mark
6060 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6065 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6066 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6067 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6070 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6071 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6074 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6075 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6076 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6079 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6080 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6083 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6084 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6087 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6088 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6091 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6092 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6095 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6096 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6099 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6100 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6104 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6105 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6106 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6110 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6111 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6113 One more special mark, though:
6117 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6118 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6120 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6121 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6122 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6123 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6129 @subsection Other Marks
6130 @cindex process mark
6133 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6139 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6140 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6141 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6142 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6143 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6146 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6147 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6148 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6149 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6152 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6153 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6154 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6157 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6158 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6159 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6162 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6163 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6164 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6165 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6168 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
6169 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
6170 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
6171 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
6172 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
6173 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
6176 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6177 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6178 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6179 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6182 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6183 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6184 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6185 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6186 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6190 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6191 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6192 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6193 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6194 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6195 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6198 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6199 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6200 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6201 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6202 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6203 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6207 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6208 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6209 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6210 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6211 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6214 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6215 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6216 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6217 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6218 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6219 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6223 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6224 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6225 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6227 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6228 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6229 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6233 @subsection Setting Marks
6234 @cindex setting marks
6236 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6241 @kindex M c (Summary)
6242 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6243 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6244 @cindex mark as unread
6245 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6246 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6252 @kindex M t (Summary)
6253 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6254 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6255 @xref{Article Caching}.
6260 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6261 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6262 Mark the current article as dormant
6263 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6267 @kindex M d (Summary)
6269 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6270 Mark the current article as read
6271 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6275 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6276 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6277 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6282 @kindex M k (Summary)
6283 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6284 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6285 and then select the next unread article
6286 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6290 @kindex M K (Summary)
6291 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6293 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6294 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6297 @kindex M C (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6299 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6300 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6303 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6304 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6305 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6306 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6309 @kindex M H (Summary)
6310 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6311 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6312 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6315 @kindex M h (Summary)
6316 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6317 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6318 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6321 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6323 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6324 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6327 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6328 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6329 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6330 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6334 @kindex M e (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6337 Mark the current article as expirable
6338 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6341 @kindex M b (Summary)
6342 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6343 Set a bookmark in the current article
6344 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6347 @kindex M B (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6349 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6350 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6353 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6355 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6356 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6359 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6360 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6361 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6362 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6365 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6366 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6367 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6368 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6369 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6372 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6373 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6374 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6375 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6376 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6377 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6378 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6379 The default is @code{t}.
6382 @node Generic Marking Commands
6383 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6385 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6386 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6387 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6388 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6389 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6392 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6393 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6396 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6397 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6398 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6399 to list in this manual.
6401 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6402 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6403 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6404 article, you could say something like:
6408 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6409 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6410 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6418 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6419 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6423 @node Setting Process Marks
6424 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6425 @cindex setting process marks
6427 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6428 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6429 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6430 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6431 articles into the cache. For more information,
6432 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6439 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6440 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6441 Mark the current article with the process mark
6442 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6443 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6447 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6448 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6449 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6450 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6453 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6454 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6455 Remove the process mark from all articles
6456 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6459 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6460 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6461 Invert the list of process marked articles
6462 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6465 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6466 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6467 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6468 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6471 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6472 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6473 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6474 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6477 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6478 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6479 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6482 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6483 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6484 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6487 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6489 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6490 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6493 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6494 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6495 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6496 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6499 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6500 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6501 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6502 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6505 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6506 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6507 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6510 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6511 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6512 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6513 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6516 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6517 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6518 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6521 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6522 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6523 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6524 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6527 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6528 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6529 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6530 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6533 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6535 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6536 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6539 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6541 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6542 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6546 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6547 set process marks based on article body contents.
6554 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6555 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6556 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6559 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
6560 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
6567 @kindex / / (Summary)
6568 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6569 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6570 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6574 @kindex / a (Summary)
6575 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6576 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6577 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6581 @kindex / R (Summary)
6582 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6583 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6584 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6588 @kindex / A (Summary)
6589 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
6590 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
6591 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
6592 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
6595 @kindex / S (Summary)
6596 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
6597 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
6598 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
6599 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
6602 @kindex / x (Summary)
6603 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6604 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6605 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6606 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6611 @kindex / u (Summary)
6613 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6614 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6615 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6616 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6617 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6620 @kindex / m (Summary)
6621 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6622 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6623 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6626 @kindex / t (Summary)
6627 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6628 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6629 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6630 articles younger than that number of days.
6633 @kindex / n (Summary)
6634 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6635 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
6636 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
6637 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
6640 @kindex / w (Summary)
6641 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6642 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6643 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6647 @kindex / . (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6649 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6650 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6653 @kindex / v (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6655 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6656 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6659 @kindex / p (Summary)
6660 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6661 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6662 group parameter predicate
6663 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6664 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6667 @kindex / r (Summary)
6668 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6669 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6670 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6675 @kindex M S (Summary)
6676 @kindex / E (Summary)
6677 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6678 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6679 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6682 @kindex / D (Summary)
6683 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6684 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6685 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6688 @kindex / * (Summary)
6689 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6690 Include all cached articles in the limit
6691 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6694 @kindex / d (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6696 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6697 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6700 @kindex / M (Summary)
6701 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6702 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6705 @kindex / T (Summary)
6706 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6707 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6710 @kindex / c (Summary)
6711 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6712 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6713 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6716 @kindex / C (Summary)
6717 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6718 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6719 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6720 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6723 @kindex / b (Summary)
6724 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
6725 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
6726 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
6727 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
6728 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
6731 @kindex / h (Summary)
6732 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
6733 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
6734 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
6739 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
6744 @kindex / N (Summary)
6745 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6746 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6747 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6750 @kindex / o (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6752 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6753 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6761 @cindex article threading
6763 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6764 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6765 hierarchical fashion.
6767 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6768 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6769 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6770 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6771 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6772 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6773 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6775 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6779 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6782 A tree-like article structure.
6785 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6788 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6789 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6790 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6791 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6792 called loose threads.
6794 @item thread gathering
6795 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6797 @item sparse threads
6798 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6799 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6805 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6806 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6810 @node Customizing Threading
6811 @subsection Customizing Threading
6812 @cindex customizing threading
6815 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6816 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6817 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6818 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6823 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6826 @cindex loose threads
6829 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6830 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6831 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6832 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6833 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6834 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6836 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6837 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6838 There are four possible values:
6842 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6843 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6844 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6845 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6846 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6851 @cindex adopting articles
6856 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6857 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6858 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6859 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6862 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6863 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6864 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6865 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6866 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6867 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6868 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6869 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6870 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6871 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6874 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6875 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6876 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6880 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6881 display them after one another.
6884 Don't gather loose threads.
6887 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6888 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6889 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6890 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6891 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6892 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6893 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6894 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6895 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6896 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6897 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6899 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6900 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6901 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6904 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6905 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6906 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6907 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6908 simplification is used.
6910 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6911 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6912 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6913 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6915 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6917 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6923 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6924 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6925 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6926 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6931 (mapconcat 'identity
6932 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6934 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6937 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6940 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6941 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6942 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6943 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6944 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6945 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6947 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6950 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6951 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6952 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6954 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6955 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6958 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6959 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6960 Remove excessive whitespace.
6962 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6963 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6964 Remove all whitespace.
6967 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6970 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6971 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6972 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6973 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6974 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6975 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6976 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6977 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6979 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6980 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6981 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6982 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6983 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6984 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6985 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6986 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6987 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6991 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6992 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6993 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6994 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6996 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6997 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6998 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
7001 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
7005 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7006 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
7012 @node Filling In Threads
7013 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7016 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7017 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7018 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7019 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7020 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7021 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7022 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7023 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7024 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7025 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7026 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7027 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7030 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7031 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7032 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7034 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7036 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7037 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7038 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7039 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7040 slow summary generation.
7042 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7043 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7044 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7047 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7048 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7049 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7050 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7051 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7052 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7053 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7054 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7055 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7056 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7057 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7058 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7059 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7060 @code{nil} by default.
7062 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7063 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7064 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7065 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7066 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7067 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7070 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7071 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7072 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7077 @node More Threading
7078 @subsubsection More Threading
7081 @item gnus-show-threads
7082 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7083 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7084 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7085 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7086 slower and more awkward.
7088 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7089 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7090 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7093 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7094 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7095 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7100 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7101 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7102 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7105 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7106 unread, but you get my drift.)
7109 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7110 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7111 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7112 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7113 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7114 threads are expunged.
7116 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7117 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7118 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7121 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7122 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7123 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7124 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7125 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7126 result in a new thread.
7128 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7129 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7130 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7133 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7134 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7135 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7136 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7137 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7138 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7139 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7140 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7141 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7142 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7143 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7148 @node Low-Level Threading
7149 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7153 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7154 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7155 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7157 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7158 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7159 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7160 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7161 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7162 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7163 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7164 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7165 meaningful. Here's one example:
7168 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7170 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7171 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7173 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7175 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7182 @node Thread Commands
7183 @subsection Thread Commands
7184 @cindex thread commands
7190 @kindex T k (Summary)
7191 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7192 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7193 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7194 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7195 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7200 @kindex T l (Summary)
7201 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7202 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7203 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7204 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7207 @kindex T i (Summary)
7208 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7209 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7210 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7213 @kindex T # (Summary)
7214 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7215 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7216 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7219 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7220 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7221 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7222 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7225 @kindex T T (Summary)
7226 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7227 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7230 @kindex T s (Summary)
7231 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7232 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7233 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7236 @kindex T h (Summary)
7237 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7238 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7241 @kindex T S (Summary)
7242 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7243 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7246 @kindex T H (Summary)
7247 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7248 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7251 @kindex T t (Summary)
7252 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7253 Re-thread the current article's thread
7254 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7255 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7258 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7259 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7260 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7261 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7264 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7265 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7266 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7267 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7271 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7272 understand the numeric prefix.
7277 @kindex T n (Summary)
7279 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7281 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7282 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7283 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7286 @kindex T p (Summary)
7288 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7290 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7291 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7292 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7295 @kindex T d (Summary)
7296 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7297 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7300 @kindex T u (Summary)
7301 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7302 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7305 @kindex T o (Summary)
7306 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
7307 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7310 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7311 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7312 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7313 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7314 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7315 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7316 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7317 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7318 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7319 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7320 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7321 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7325 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7326 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7328 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7329 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7330 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7331 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7332 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7333 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7334 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7335 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7336 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7337 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7338 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7339 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7340 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7341 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7342 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7344 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7345 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7346 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7347 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7348 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
7349 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7350 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7351 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7352 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7353 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7355 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7356 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7357 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. Exceptions
7358 to this rule are @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number} and
7359 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date}.
7361 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7362 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7363 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7364 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7365 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7366 ascending article order.
7368 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7369 by number, you could do something like:
7372 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7373 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7374 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7375 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7378 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7379 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7380 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7381 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7382 which the articles arrived.
7384 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7388 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7389 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
7390 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7393 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7394 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7395 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7396 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7399 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7400 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7401 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
7402 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7403 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7404 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7405 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7406 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7407 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
7408 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7409 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7410 variable. It is very similar to the
7411 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7412 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7413 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7414 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7415 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7416 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7417 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7419 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7423 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7424 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7425 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7428 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
7429 @xref{Group Parameters}.
7432 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7433 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7434 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7435 @cindex article pre-fetch
7438 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7439 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7440 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7441 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7442 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7444 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7445 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7447 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7448 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7449 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7450 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7451 connection is blocked.
7453 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7454 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7455 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7456 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7458 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7459 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7460 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7461 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7464 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7467 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7468 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7469 happen automatically.
7471 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7472 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7473 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7474 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7475 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7476 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7477 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7479 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7480 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
7481 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7482 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7483 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7484 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7485 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
7486 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7487 article data structure as the only parameter.
7489 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7490 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7493 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7494 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7495 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7496 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7499 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7502 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7503 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7504 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7506 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
7507 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
7508 After an article has been prefetched, this
7509 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
7510 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
7511 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
7512 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
7513 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
7514 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
7516 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7517 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7518 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7519 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7523 Remove articles when they are read.
7526 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7529 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7531 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7532 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7533 @c from the next group.
7536 @node Article Caching
7537 @section Article Caching
7538 @cindex article caching
7541 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7542 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7543 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7544 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7545 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7547 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7549 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7550 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7551 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7552 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7553 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7554 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7555 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7556 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7558 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7559 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7560 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7561 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7562 as dormant, and don't worry.
7564 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7566 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7567 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7568 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7569 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7570 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7571 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7572 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7573 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7574 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7575 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7577 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7578 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7579 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7580 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7581 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7582 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7583 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7584 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7585 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7586 not then be downloaded by this command.
7588 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7589 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7590 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7591 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7592 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7593 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7595 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7596 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7597 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7598 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7599 variables, the group is not cached.
7601 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7602 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7603 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7604 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7605 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7606 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7607 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7608 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7609 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7612 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7613 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7614 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7615 where, isn't that cool?
7617 @node Persistent Articles
7618 @section Persistent Articles
7619 @cindex persistent articles
7621 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7622 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7623 useful in my opinion.
7625 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7626 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7627 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7628 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7629 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7630 the expiry going on at the news server.
7632 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7633 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7634 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7640 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7641 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7644 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7645 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7646 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7647 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7651 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7653 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7654 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7655 interested in persistent articles:
7658 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7661 @node Sticky Articles
7662 @section Sticky Articles
7663 @cindex sticky articles
7665 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
7666 according to the value of the variable
7667 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
7668 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
7669 has its own article buffer.
7671 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
7672 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
7673 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
7674 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next christmas party.
7676 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
7677 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
7678 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
7682 @kindex A S (Summary)
7683 @findex gnus-sticky-article
7684 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
7685 name for this sticky article buffer.
7688 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
7694 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
7698 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
7699 Kills this sticky article buffer.
7702 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
7704 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
7705 Kill all sticky article buffers.
7706 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
7709 @node Article Backlog
7710 @section Article Backlog
7712 @cindex article backlog
7714 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7715 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7716 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7717 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7718 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7719 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7720 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7721 increase memory usage some.
7723 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7724 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7725 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7726 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7727 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7728 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7729 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7731 The default value is 20.
7734 @node Saving Articles
7735 @section Saving Articles
7736 @cindex saving articles
7738 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7739 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7740 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7741 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7742 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7744 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7745 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7746 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7748 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7749 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7750 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7752 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7753 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7754 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7755 deleted before saving.
7761 @kindex O o (Summary)
7763 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7764 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7765 Save the current article using the default article saver
7766 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7769 @kindex O m (Summary)
7770 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7771 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
7772 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7775 @kindex O r (Summary)
7776 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7777 Save the current article in Rmail format
7778 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
7779 Babyl in older versions.
7782 @kindex O f (Summary)
7783 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7784 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7785 Save the current article in plain file format
7786 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7789 @kindex O F (Summary)
7790 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7791 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7792 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7795 @kindex O b (Summary)
7796 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7797 Save the current article body in plain file format
7798 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7801 @kindex O h (Summary)
7802 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7803 Save the current article in mh folder format
7804 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7807 @kindex O v (Summary)
7808 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7809 Save the current article in a VM folder
7810 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7814 @kindex O p (Summary)
7816 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7817 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
7818 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7819 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7820 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7821 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
7822 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
7823 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
7824 to a string containing the default command and options (default
7828 @kindex O P (Summary)
7829 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7830 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7831 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7832 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7833 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7834 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7835 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7839 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7840 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7841 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7842 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7843 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7844 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7845 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7846 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7847 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7848 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7849 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7850 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7854 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7855 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7856 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
7857 functions below, or you can create your own.
7861 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7862 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7863 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7864 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7865 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
7866 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
7867 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
7868 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
7869 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
7870 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7871 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7873 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7874 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7875 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7876 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7877 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7878 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7880 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7881 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7882 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7883 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7884 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7885 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7886 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7888 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7889 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7890 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7891 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7892 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7893 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7895 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7896 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7897 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7898 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7899 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7901 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7902 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7903 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7904 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7905 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7906 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7908 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7909 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7910 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7911 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7912 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7915 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7916 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7917 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7918 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7919 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7921 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7922 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7923 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7924 reader to use this setting.
7926 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
7927 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
7928 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
7929 arguments COMMAND and RAW. Valid values for COMMAND include:
7933 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
7935 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
7936 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
7937 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
7938 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
7939 last used for saving.
7942 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
7943 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
7944 headers will be piped.
7947 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
7951 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
7952 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
7953 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
7954 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
7955 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
7956 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
7959 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
7960 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
7961 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
7962 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
7963 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
7964 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
7967 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
7968 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
7969 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
7970 headers should be saved.
7973 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7974 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7975 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7976 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7979 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7980 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7981 available functions that generate names:
7985 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7986 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7987 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7989 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7990 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7991 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7993 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7994 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7995 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7997 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7998 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7999 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
8001 @item gnus-sender-save-name
8002 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
8003 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
8006 @vindex gnus-split-methods
8007 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
8008 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
8009 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
8010 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
8014 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
8015 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8016 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8017 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8020 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8021 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8022 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8023 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8024 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8025 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8026 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8027 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8028 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8030 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8031 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8032 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8033 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8035 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8036 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8037 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8040 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8041 lots of mail groups called things like
8042 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8043 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8044 following will do just that:
8047 (defun my-save-name (group)
8048 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8049 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8051 (setq gnus-split-methods
8052 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8057 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8058 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8059 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8060 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8061 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8062 all the files in the top level directory
8063 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8064 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8065 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8066 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8068 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8069 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8070 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8071 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8072 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8075 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8079 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8080 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8081 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8084 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8085 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8086 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8087 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8090 @node Decoding Articles
8091 @section Decoding Articles
8092 @cindex decoding articles
8094 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8095 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8098 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8099 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8100 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8101 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8102 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8103 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8107 @cindex article series
8108 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8109 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8110 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8111 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8112 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8114 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8115 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8116 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8118 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8119 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8120 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8122 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8123 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8124 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8127 @node Uuencoded Articles
8128 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8130 @cindex uuencoded articles
8135 @kindex X u (Summary)
8136 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8137 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8138 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8141 @kindex X U (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8143 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8144 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8147 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8148 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8149 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8152 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8153 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8154 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8155 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8159 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8160 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8161 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8162 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8163 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8165 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8166 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8167 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8168 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8171 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8172 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8173 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8174 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8175 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8176 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8180 @node Shell Archives
8181 @subsection Shell Archives
8183 @cindex shell archives
8184 @cindex shared articles
8186 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8187 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8188 some commands to deal with these:
8193 @kindex X s (Summary)
8194 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8195 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8198 @kindex X S (Summary)
8199 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8200 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8203 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8204 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8205 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8208 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8209 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8210 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8211 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8215 @node PostScript Files
8216 @subsection PostScript Files
8222 @kindex X p (Summary)
8223 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8224 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8227 @kindex X P (Summary)
8228 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8229 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8230 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8233 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8234 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8235 View the current PostScript series
8236 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8239 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8240 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8241 View and save the current PostScript series
8242 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8247 @subsection Other Files
8251 @kindex X o (Summary)
8252 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8253 Save the current series
8254 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8257 @kindex X b (Summary)
8258 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8259 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8260 doesn't really work yet.
8263 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8264 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8265 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
8269 @node Decoding Variables
8270 @subsection Decoding Variables
8272 Adjective, not verb.
8275 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
8276 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
8277 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
8281 @node Rule Variables
8282 @subsubsection Rule Variables
8283 @cindex rule variables
8285 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
8286 variables are of the form
8289 (list '(regexp1 command2)
8296 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8297 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8299 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
8300 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
8303 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8304 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
8307 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8308 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8309 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
8310 user and default view rules.
8312 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8313 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8314 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
8319 @node Other Decode Variables
8320 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
8323 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8325 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8326 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
8327 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
8328 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
8329 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
8333 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
8334 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
8337 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
8338 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
8339 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
8342 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8343 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8344 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
8345 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
8346 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
8349 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8350 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8351 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
8353 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8354 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8355 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
8356 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
8357 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
8360 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8361 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8362 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
8364 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8365 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8366 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
8367 looking for files to display.
8369 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
8370 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
8371 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
8374 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8375 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8376 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
8379 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8380 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8381 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
8384 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8385 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8386 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
8389 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8390 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8391 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
8392 decoded articles as unread.
8394 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8395 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8396 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
8397 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
8399 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8400 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8401 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
8403 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8404 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8406 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
8407 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
8408 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8409 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8411 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8412 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8413 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8414 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8415 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8416 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8417 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8418 simply dropped them.
8423 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8424 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8428 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8429 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8430 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8431 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8432 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8433 for you when you post the article.
8435 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8436 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8437 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8438 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8440 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8441 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8442 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8443 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8444 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8445 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8446 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8448 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8449 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8450 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8451 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8452 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8453 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8454 Default is @code{t}.
8460 @subsection Viewing Files
8461 @cindex viewing files
8462 @cindex pseudo-articles
8464 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
8465 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8466 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8467 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
8468 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8469 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8470 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8472 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8473 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8474 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8475 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8477 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8478 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8479 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8481 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8482 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8483 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8484 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8485 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8487 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8488 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8489 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8490 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8491 a list of parameters to that command.
8493 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8494 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8495 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8497 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8498 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8499 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8502 @node Article Treatment
8503 @section Article Treatment
8505 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8506 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8507 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8508 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8509 these articles easier.
8512 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8513 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8514 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8515 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8516 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8517 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8518 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8519 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8520 * Article Display:: Display various stuff:
8521 X-Face, Picons, Gravatars, Smileys.
8522 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8523 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8527 @node Article Highlighting
8528 @subsection Article Highlighting
8529 @cindex highlighting
8531 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8532 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8537 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8538 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8539 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8540 Do much highlighting of the current article
8541 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8542 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8545 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8547 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8548 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8549 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8550 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8551 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8552 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8553 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8554 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8555 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8556 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8559 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8561 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8563 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8566 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8568 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8569 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
8570 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8572 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8573 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8574 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8576 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8577 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8578 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8579 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8580 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8581 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8583 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8584 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8585 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8587 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8588 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8589 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8591 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8592 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8593 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8594 that it's a citation.
8596 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8597 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8598 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8600 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8601 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8602 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8604 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8605 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8606 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8607 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8609 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8610 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8611 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8612 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8613 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8620 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8621 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8622 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8623 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8624 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8625 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8626 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8627 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8632 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8635 @node Article Fontisizing
8636 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8638 @cindex article emphasis
8640 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8641 @kindex W e (Summary)
8642 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8643 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8644 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8645 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8647 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8648 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8649 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8650 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8651 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8652 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8653 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8654 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8658 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8659 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8660 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8669 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8670 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8671 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8672 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8673 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8674 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8675 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8676 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8677 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8678 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8679 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8680 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8681 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8683 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8684 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8685 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8689 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8692 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8694 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8695 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8696 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8697 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8699 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8702 @node Article Hiding
8703 @subsection Article Hiding
8704 @cindex article hiding
8706 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8707 too much cruft in most articles.
8712 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8713 @findex gnus-article-hide
8714 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8715 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8716 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8719 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8721 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8725 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8727 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8728 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8731 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8733 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8737 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8739 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8740 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8741 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8742 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8743 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8744 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8748 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8749 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8750 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8751 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8756 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8757 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8758 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8759 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8762 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8763 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8764 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8765 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8768 @cindex stripping advertisements
8769 @cindex advertisements
8770 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8771 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8772 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8773 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8774 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8775 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8776 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8777 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8778 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8779 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8785 (setq gnus-article-banner-alist
8787 "^\n*--~--~---------\\(.+\n\\)+")))
8790 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8791 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8792 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8796 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8797 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8798 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8799 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8800 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8801 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8802 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8803 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8804 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8805 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8806 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8809 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8810 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8816 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8817 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8818 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8819 customizing the hiding:
8823 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8824 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8825 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8826 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8827 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8828 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8829 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8834 Starting point of the hidden text.
8836 Ending point of the hidden text.
8838 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8840 Number of lines of hidden text.
8843 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8844 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8845 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8846 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8847 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8852 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8853 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8855 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8856 following two variables:
8859 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8860 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8861 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8862 50), hide the cited text.
8864 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8865 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8866 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8871 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8872 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8873 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8874 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8875 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8876 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8880 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8881 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8882 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8884 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8885 citation customization.
8887 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8891 @node Article Washing
8892 @subsection Article Washing
8894 @cindex article washing
8896 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8897 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8899 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8900 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8903 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8904 articles by default.
8909 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8910 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8914 Force redisplaying of the current article
8915 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8916 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8917 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8918 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8921 @kindex W l (Summary)
8922 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8923 Remove page breaks from the current article
8924 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8928 @kindex W r (Summary)
8929 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8930 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8931 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8932 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8933 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8934 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8936 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8937 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8938 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8939 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8942 @kindex W m (Summary)
8943 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8944 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8947 @kindex W i (Summary)
8948 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8949 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8950 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8951 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8952 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8953 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8958 @kindex W t (Summary)
8960 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8961 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8962 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8965 @kindex W v (Summary)
8966 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8967 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8968 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8971 @kindex W o (Summary)
8972 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8973 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8976 @kindex W d (Summary)
8977 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8978 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8980 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8982 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8983 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8984 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8985 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8988 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8989 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8990 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8991 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8994 @kindex W U (Summary)
8995 @findex gnus-article-treat-non-ascii
8997 @cindex Non-@acronym{ASCII}
8998 Translate many non-@acronym{ASCII} characters into their
8999 @acronym{ASCII} equivalents (@code{gnus-article-treat-non-ascii}).
9000 This is mostly useful if you're on a terminal that has a limited font
9001 and does't show accented characters, ``advanced'' punctuation, and the
9002 like. For instance, @samp{»} is tranlated into @samp{>>}, and so on.
9005 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
9006 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
9007 @cindex Outlook Express
9008 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
9009 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
9010 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
9013 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
9014 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
9015 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9016 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9017 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9018 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9019 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9020 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9021 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9022 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9025 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9026 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9027 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9028 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9031 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9032 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9033 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9034 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9037 @kindex W w (Summary)
9038 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9039 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9041 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9045 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9046 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9047 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9050 @kindex W C (Summary)
9051 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9052 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9053 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9056 @kindex W c (Summary)
9057 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9058 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9059 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9060 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9061 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9064 @kindex W q (Summary)
9065 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9066 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9067 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9068 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9069 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9070 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9071 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9072 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9073 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9076 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9077 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9078 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9079 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9080 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9081 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9082 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9083 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9086 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9087 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9088 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9089 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9090 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9093 @kindex W A (Summary)
9094 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9095 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9096 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9097 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9098 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9101 @kindex W u (Summary)
9102 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9103 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9104 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9105 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9106 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9109 @kindex W h (Summary)
9110 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9111 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9112 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9113 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9115 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9116 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9117 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9119 The default is to use the function specified by
9120 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9121 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9122 @acronym{HTML}. Pre-defined functions you can use include:
9126 Use Gnus simple html renderer.
9129 Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
9135 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9137 @item w3m-standalone
9138 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9141 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9144 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9147 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9152 @kindex W b (Summary)
9153 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9154 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9155 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9158 @kindex W B (Summary)
9159 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9160 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9161 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9164 @kindex W p (Summary)
9165 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9166 Verify a signed control message
9167 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9168 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9169 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9170 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9171 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9172 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9175 @kindex W s (Summary)
9176 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9177 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9178 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9179 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9182 @kindex W a (Summary)
9183 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9184 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9185 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9188 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9189 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9190 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9191 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9194 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9195 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9196 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9197 lines with a single empty line.
9198 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9201 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9202 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9203 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9204 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9207 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9208 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9209 Do all the three commands above
9210 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9213 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9214 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9215 Remove all blank lines
9216 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9219 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9220 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9221 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9222 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9225 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9226 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9227 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9228 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9232 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9235 @node Article Header
9236 @subsection Article Header
9238 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9243 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9244 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9245 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9248 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9249 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9250 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9251 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9254 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9255 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9256 Fold all the message headers
9257 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9260 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9261 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9262 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9263 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9268 @node Article Buttons
9269 @subsection Article Buttons
9272 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9273 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9274 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9275 button on these references.
9277 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9278 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9279 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9280 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9281 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9285 @item gnus-button-alist
9286 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9287 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
9290 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9296 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
9297 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
9298 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
9299 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
9300 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
9303 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
9304 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
9305 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
9308 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
9309 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
9310 avoid false matches. Often variables named
9311 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
9312 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
9314 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
9317 This function will be called when you click on this button.
9320 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
9321 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
9325 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
9328 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
9331 @item gnus-header-button-alist
9332 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
9333 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
9334 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
9335 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
9338 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9341 @var{header} is a regular expression.
9344 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
9347 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
9348 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
9350 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
9352 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
9353 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
9354 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
9355 default values of the variables above.
9357 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
9359 @item gnus-button-man-handler
9360 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9361 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
9362 argument with a string naming the man page.
9364 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
9366 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9367 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9368 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
9370 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9371 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9372 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
9373 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
9374 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
9375 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
9376 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
9377 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
9378 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
9379 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
9380 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
9381 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9383 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9384 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9385 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
9386 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
9387 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
9390 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9391 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9392 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
9393 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9397 @item gnus-article-button-face
9398 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
9399 Face used on buttons.
9401 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
9402 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
9403 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
9407 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
9410 @node Article Button Levels
9411 @subsection Article button levels
9412 @cindex button levels
9413 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
9414 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9415 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9416 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9417 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9418 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9419 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9420 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9423 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9424 (setq gnus-parameters
9425 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9426 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9427 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9432 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9433 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9434 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9435 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9436 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9437 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9439 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9440 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9441 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9442 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9443 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9444 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9445 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9446 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9447 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9448 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9449 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9450 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9451 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9453 @item gnus-button-man-level
9454 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9455 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9456 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9458 @item gnus-button-message-level
9459 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9460 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9461 Related variables and functions include
9462 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9463 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9464 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9465 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9471 @subsection Article Date
9473 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9474 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9475 when the article was sent.
9480 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9481 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9482 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9483 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9486 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9487 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9489 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9490 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9493 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9494 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9495 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9498 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9499 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9500 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9501 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9504 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9505 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9506 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9507 @findex format-time-string
9508 Display the date using a user-defined format
9509 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9510 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9511 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9512 for a list of possible format specs.
9515 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9516 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9517 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9518 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9519 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9520 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9523 Date: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9526 This line is updated continually by default. The frequency (in
9527 seconds) is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-update-date-headers}
9530 If you wish to switch updating off, say:
9532 @vindex gnus-article-update-date-headers
9534 (setq gnus-article-update-date-headers nil)
9537 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9540 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9541 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9542 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9543 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9544 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9545 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9546 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9550 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9551 preferred format automatically.
9554 @node Article Display
9555 @subsection Article Display
9561 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9562 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9564 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9565 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9567 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9568 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9570 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9571 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9573 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9574 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9576 Gravatars reside on-line and are fetched from
9577 @uref{http://www.gravatar.com/} (@pxref{Gravatars}).
9579 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9584 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9585 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9586 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9587 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9590 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9591 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9592 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9593 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9596 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9597 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9598 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9601 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9603 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9606 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9607 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9608 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9609 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9612 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9613 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9614 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9615 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9618 @kindex W D g (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
9620 Gravatarify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
9623 @kindex W D h (Summary)
9624 @findex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
9625 Gravatarify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9626 (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
9629 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9630 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9631 Remove all images from the article buffer
9632 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9635 @kindex W D W (Summary)
9636 @findex gnus-html-show-images
9637 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
9638 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
9639 the buffer with this command.
9640 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
9646 @node Article Signature
9647 @subsection Article Signature
9649 @cindex article signature
9651 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9652 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9653 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9654 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9655 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9656 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9657 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9658 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9659 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9662 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9663 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9664 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9665 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9666 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9667 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9668 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9669 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9672 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9675 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9676 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9677 signature when displaying articles.
9681 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9684 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9687 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9688 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9690 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9691 in question is not a signature.
9694 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9695 listed above. Here's an example:
9698 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9699 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9702 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9703 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9704 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9705 signature after all.
9708 @node Article Miscellanea
9709 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9713 @kindex A t (Summary)
9714 @findex gnus-article-babel
9715 Translate the article from one language to another
9716 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9722 @section MIME Commands
9723 @cindex MIME decoding
9725 @cindex viewing attachments
9727 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9728 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9734 @kindex K v (Summary)
9735 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9738 @kindex K o (Summary)
9739 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9742 @kindex K O (Summary)
9743 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9744 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9745 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9748 @kindex K r (Summary)
9749 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9752 @kindex K d (Summary)
9753 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9757 @kindex K c (Summary)
9758 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9761 @kindex K e (Summary)
9762 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9765 @kindex K i (Summary)
9766 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9769 @kindex K | (Summary)
9770 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9773 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9778 @kindex K H (Summary)
9779 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
9780 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
9781 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
9782 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
9783 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
9784 unless the prefix argument is given.
9786 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
9787 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
9788 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
9789 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
9792 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
9793 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
9795 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
9796 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
9797 the group (if you want).
9800 @kindex K b (Summary)
9801 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9802 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9806 @kindex K m (Summary)
9807 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9808 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9809 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9810 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9811 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9814 @kindex X m (Summary)
9815 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9816 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9817 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9818 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9821 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9822 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9823 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9824 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9827 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9828 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9829 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9830 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9833 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9834 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9835 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9836 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9838 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9839 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9840 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9841 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9842 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9843 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9846 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9847 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9848 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9849 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9856 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9857 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9858 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9859 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9862 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9865 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9869 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9870 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9871 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9872 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9873 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9874 default is @code{t}.
9876 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9877 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9880 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9881 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9882 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9883 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9884 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
9885 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
9886 for encoding in Gnus.
9888 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9889 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9890 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9891 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9892 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9893 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9894 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9895 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9897 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9898 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9899 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9900 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9901 displayed. This variable overrides
9902 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9903 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9906 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9907 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9908 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9910 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
9911 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
9912 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
9913 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
9914 Emacs MIME Manual}).
9916 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9917 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9918 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9919 default value is @code{nil}.
9921 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9922 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9923 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9924 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9925 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9926 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9927 save all jpegs into some directory).
9929 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9932 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9933 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9935 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9936 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9937 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9938 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9939 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9942 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9943 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9944 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9946 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9947 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9948 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9950 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9951 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9952 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9954 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
9955 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
9956 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
9957 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
9958 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
9960 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9961 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9962 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9963 overrides @code{nil} values of
9964 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9965 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9967 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9968 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9969 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9970 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9972 Ready-made functions include@*
9973 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9974 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9975 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9976 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9977 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9978 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9979 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9980 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9981 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9982 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9983 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9984 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9986 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9987 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9989 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9990 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9991 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9994 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9995 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9996 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9997 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
10001 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
10010 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
10011 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
10012 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
10013 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
10014 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
10015 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10016 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10018 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10019 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10020 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10021 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10023 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10024 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10025 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10026 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10027 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10028 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10029 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10030 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10031 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10033 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10034 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10035 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10036 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10037 quoted-printable header encoding.
10039 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10040 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10041 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10045 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10048 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10049 means encode all charsets),
10051 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10052 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10053 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10060 @cindex coding system aliases
10061 @cindex preferred charset
10063 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10064 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10065 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10067 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10069 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10070 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10073 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10074 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10077 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10078 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10080 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10083 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10086 This will almost do the right thing.
10088 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10092 (codepage-setup 1251)
10093 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10097 @node Article Commands
10098 @section Article Commands
10105 @kindex A P (Summary)
10106 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10107 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10108 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10109 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10110 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10111 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10114 @vindex gnus-fetch-partial-articles
10115 @findex gnus-summary-show-complete-article
10116 If @code{<backend>-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
10117 fetch partial articles, if the backend it fetches them from supports
10118 it. Currently only @code{nnimap} does. If you're looking at a
10119 partial article, and want to see the complete article instead, then
10120 the @kbd{A C} command (@code{gnus-summary-show-complete-article}) will
10126 @node Summary Sorting
10127 @section Summary Sorting
10128 @cindex summary sorting
10130 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10131 can't really see why you'd want that.
10136 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10137 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10138 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10140 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10141 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10142 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10143 Sort by most recent article number
10144 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10147 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10148 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10149 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10152 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10153 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10154 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10157 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10158 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10159 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10162 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10163 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10164 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10166 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10167 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10168 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10169 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10172 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10173 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10174 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10177 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10178 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10179 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10182 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10183 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10184 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10187 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10188 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10189 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10192 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10193 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10194 Sort using the default sorting method
10195 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10198 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10199 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10200 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10201 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10202 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10205 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10208 @node Finding the Parent
10209 @section Finding the Parent
10210 @cindex parent articles
10211 @cindex referring articles
10215 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10216 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10217 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10218 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10219 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10220 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10221 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10222 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10223 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10224 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10226 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10227 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10228 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10229 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10230 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10233 @item A R (Summary)
10234 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10235 @kindex A R (Summary)
10236 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10237 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10239 @item A T (Summary)
10240 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10241 @kindex A T (Summary)
10242 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10243 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10244 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10245 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10246 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10247 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10248 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10250 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10251 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
10252 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10253 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10254 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10255 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10257 @item M-^ (Summary)
10258 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10259 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10261 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10262 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10263 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10264 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10265 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10266 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10268 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10269 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10270 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10273 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10274 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10275 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10276 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10277 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10278 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10281 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10282 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10283 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10286 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
10287 then ask Google if that fails:
10290 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
10292 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
10295 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
10296 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
10297 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
10298 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
10299 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
10300 group. @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
10302 Fortunately, the special @code{nnregistry} back end is able to locate
10303 articles in any groups, regardless of their back end (@pxref{Registry
10304 Article Refer Method, fetching by @code{Message-ID} using the
10307 @node Alternative Approaches
10308 @section Alternative Approaches
10310 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
10311 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
10314 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
10315 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
10319 @node Pick and Read
10320 @subsection Pick and Read
10321 @cindex pick and read
10323 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
10324 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
10325 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
10326 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
10328 @findex gnus-pick-mode
10329 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
10330 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
10331 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
10332 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
10333 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
10335 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
10340 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
10341 Pick the article or thread on the current line
10342 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10343 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
10344 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
10345 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
10346 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
10347 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
10350 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
10351 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
10352 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
10353 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
10357 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
10358 Unpick the thread or article
10359 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10360 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
10361 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
10362 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
10363 the thread or article at that line.
10367 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
10368 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
10369 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
10370 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
10371 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
10372 will still be visible when you are reading.
10376 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
10377 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
10378 which is mapped to the same function
10379 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
10381 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
10384 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
10387 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
10388 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
10390 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
10391 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
10392 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
10394 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
10395 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
10396 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
10397 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
10398 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
10399 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
10400 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
10403 @node Binary Groups
10404 @subsection Binary Groups
10405 @cindex binary groups
10407 @findex gnus-binary-mode
10408 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
10409 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
10410 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
10411 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
10412 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
10413 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
10416 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
10417 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
10418 command, when you have turned on this mode
10419 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
10421 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
10422 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
10426 @section Tree Display
10429 @vindex gnus-use-trees
10430 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
10431 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
10432 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
10433 in the tree buffer.
10435 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
10438 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
10439 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
10440 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
10442 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10443 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10444 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
10445 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
10446 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
10448 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
10449 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
10450 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
10451 default is @code{modeline}.
10453 @item gnus-tree-line-format
10454 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
10455 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
10456 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
10457 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
10458 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
10459 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
10465 The name of the poster.
10467 The @code{From} header.
10469 The number of the article.
10471 The opening bracket.
10473 The closing bracket.
10478 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
10480 Variables related to the display are:
10483 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10484 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10485 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10486 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10488 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10489 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10490 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10492 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10494 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10495 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10496 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10497 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10501 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10502 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10503 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
10504 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
10505 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10506 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10507 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10508 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10509 other windows displayed next to it.
10511 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10515 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10516 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10519 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10520 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10521 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10522 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10523 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10524 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10525 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10529 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10532 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10542 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10547 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10548 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10550 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10552 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10558 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10559 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10560 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10563 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10564 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10565 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10566 (gnus-add-configuration
10570 (summary 0.75 point)
10575 @xref{Window Layout}.
10578 @node Mail Group Commands
10579 @section Mail Group Commands
10580 @cindex mail group commands
10582 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10583 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10585 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10586 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10591 @kindex B e (Summary)
10592 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10593 @cindex expiring mail
10594 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10595 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10596 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10597 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10600 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10601 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10602 @cindex expiring mail
10603 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10604 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10605 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10606 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10609 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10610 @cindex deleting mail
10611 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10612 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10613 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10614 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10615 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10618 @kindex B m (Summary)
10620 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10621 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10622 Move the article from one mail group to another
10623 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10624 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10627 @kindex B c (Summary)
10629 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10630 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10631 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10632 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10633 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10636 @kindex B B (Summary)
10637 @cindex crosspost mail
10638 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10639 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10640 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10641 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10642 be properly updated.
10645 @kindex B i (Summary)
10646 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10647 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10648 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10649 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10652 @kindex B I (Summary)
10653 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10654 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10655 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10656 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10659 @kindex B r (Summary)
10660 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10661 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10662 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10663 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10664 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10665 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10666 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10667 (which is the default).
10671 @kindex B w (Summary)
10672 @kindex e (Summary)
10673 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10674 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10675 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10676 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10677 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10678 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10679 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10682 @kindex B q (Summary)
10683 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10684 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10685 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10686 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10689 @kindex B t (Summary)
10690 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10691 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10692 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10695 @kindex B p (Summary)
10696 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10697 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10698 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10699 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10700 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10701 article from your news server (or rather, from
10702 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10703 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10704 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10705 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10706 just not have arrived yet.
10709 @kindex K E (Summary)
10710 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10711 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10712 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10713 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10714 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10718 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10719 @cindex moving articles
10720 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10721 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10722 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10723 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10724 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10725 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10726 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10729 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10730 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10731 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10732 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10736 @node Various Summary Stuff
10737 @section Various Summary Stuff
10740 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10741 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10742 * Summary Generation Commands::
10743 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10747 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10748 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10749 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10750 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10751 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10752 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10754 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10755 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10756 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10759 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10760 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10761 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10763 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10764 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10765 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10766 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10767 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10768 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10771 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10772 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10773 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10774 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10775 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10777 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10778 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10779 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10782 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10783 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10784 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10785 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10786 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10787 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10788 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10789 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10790 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10791 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10793 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10794 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10795 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10796 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10797 list of articles to be selected.
10799 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10800 the list in one particular group:
10803 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10804 (if (string= group "some.group")
10805 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10809 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10810 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10811 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10812 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10813 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10816 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10817 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10818 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10819 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10820 variable will be used instead.
10822 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10823 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10824 buffers. For example:
10827 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10828 '(message-use-followup-to
10829 (gnus-visible-headers .
10830 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10833 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10835 @vindex gnus-propagate-marks
10836 @item gnus-propagate-marks
10837 If non-@code{nil}, propagate marks to the backends for possible
10838 storing. @xref{NNTP marks}, and friends, for a more fine-grained
10844 @node Summary Group Information
10845 @subsection Summary Group Information
10850 @kindex H d (Summary)
10851 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10852 Give a brief description of the current group
10853 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10854 rereading the description from the server.
10857 @kindex H h (Summary)
10858 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10859 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10860 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10863 @kindex H i (Summary)
10864 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10865 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10869 @node Searching for Articles
10870 @subsection Searching for Articles
10875 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10876 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10877 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10878 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10881 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10882 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10883 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10884 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10887 @kindex M-S (Summary)
10888 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
10889 Repeat the previous search forwards
10890 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
10893 @kindex M-R (Summary)
10894 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
10895 Repeat the previous search backwards
10896 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
10899 @kindex & (Summary)
10900 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10901 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10902 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10903 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10904 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10905 search backward instead.
10907 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10908 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10911 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10912 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10913 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10914 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10917 @node Summary Generation Commands
10918 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10923 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10924 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10925 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10928 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10929 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10930 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10931 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10934 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10935 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10936 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10937 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10940 @kindex Y t (Summary)
10941 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
10942 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10943 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
10948 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10949 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10955 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10956 @kindex A D (Summary)
10957 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10958 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10959 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10960 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10961 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10962 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10963 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10964 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10967 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
10968 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
10969 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
10974 Select the next article.
10977 Select the next unread article.
10979 @item next-noselect
10980 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
10982 @item next-unread-noselect
10983 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
10986 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
10987 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
10990 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10991 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10992 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10993 several documents into one biiig group
10994 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10995 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10996 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10997 command understands the process/prefix convention
10998 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11001 @kindex C-t (Summary)
11002 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
11003 Toggle truncation of summary lines
11004 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
11005 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
11006 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
11009 @kindex = (Summary)
11010 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
11011 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
11012 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
11015 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11016 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11017 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11018 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11021 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11022 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11023 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11024 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11029 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11030 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11031 @cindex summary exit
11032 @cindex exiting groups
11034 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11035 group and return you to the group buffer.
11042 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11043 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11044 @kindex q (Summary)
11045 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11046 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11047 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11048 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11049 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11050 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11051 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11052 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11053 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11054 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11055 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11056 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11060 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11061 @kindex Q (Summary)
11062 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11063 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11064 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11068 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11069 @kindex c (Summary)
11070 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11071 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11072 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11073 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11076 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11077 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11078 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11079 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11082 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11083 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11084 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11085 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11088 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11089 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11090 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11091 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11095 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11096 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11097 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11098 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11099 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11100 all articles, both read and unread.
11104 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11105 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11106 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11107 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11108 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11109 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11110 articles, both read and unread.
11113 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11114 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11115 Exit the group and go to the next group
11116 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11119 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11120 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11121 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11122 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11125 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11126 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11127 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11128 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11129 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11130 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11133 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11134 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11135 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11136 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11138 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11139 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11140 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11141 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11142 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11143 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11144 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11145 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11146 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11147 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11148 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11149 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11151 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11153 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11154 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11155 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11156 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11157 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11158 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11159 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11160 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11161 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11164 @node Crosspost Handling
11165 @section Crosspost Handling
11169 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11170 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11171 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11172 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11173 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11176 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11177 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11178 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11179 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11180 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11182 @cindex cross-posting
11184 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11185 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11186 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11187 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11188 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11189 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11190 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11191 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11192 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11193 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11194 the cross reference mechanism.
11196 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11197 @cindex overview.fmt
11198 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11199 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11200 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11201 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11202 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11203 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11206 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11207 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11208 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11212 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11215 @node Duplicate Suppression
11216 @section Duplicate Suppression
11218 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11219 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11220 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11221 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11226 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11227 is evil and not very common.
11230 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11231 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11234 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11235 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11238 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11241 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11242 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11244 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11245 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11246 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11247 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11248 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11249 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11250 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11253 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11254 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11255 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11256 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11257 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11258 saw the article in.
11261 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11262 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11263 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11265 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11266 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11267 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11268 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11269 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11270 session are suppressed.
11272 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11273 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11274 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11275 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11277 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11278 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11279 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
11280 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
11283 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
11284 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
11285 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
11286 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
11287 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
11288 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
11289 to you to figure out, I think.
11294 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
11295 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
11296 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
11301 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
11302 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
11303 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
11304 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
11305 PGG Manual}), and Mailcrypt are also supported.
11308 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
11309 or newer is recommended.
11313 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
11317 @item mm-verify-option
11318 @vindex mm-verify-option
11319 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
11320 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
11321 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11323 @item mm-decrypt-option
11324 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
11325 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
11326 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
11327 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11329 @item mm-sign-option
11330 @vindex mm-sign-option
11331 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
11332 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
11334 @item mm-encrypt-option
11335 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
11336 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
11337 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
11338 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
11341 @vindex mml1991-use
11342 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11343 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
11344 and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported although
11345 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
11349 @vindex mml2015-use
11350 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11351 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
11352 @code{pgg}, and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported
11353 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
11354 interface in this order.
11358 By default the buttons that display security information are not
11359 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
11360 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
11361 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
11362 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
11363 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
11364 how to customize these variables to always display security
11367 @cindex snarfing keys
11368 @cindex importing PGP keys
11369 @cindex PGP key ring import
11370 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
11371 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
11372 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
11373 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
11374 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
11375 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
11376 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
11377 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
11378 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
11381 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
11384 This happens to also be the default action defined in
11385 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
11387 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
11388 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
11389 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
11392 @section Mailing List
11393 @cindex mailing list
11396 @kindex A M (summary)
11397 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
11398 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
11399 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
11400 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
11403 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
11408 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
11409 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
11410 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
11413 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
11414 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
11415 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
11418 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
11419 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
11420 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
11424 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
11425 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
11426 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
11429 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
11430 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
11431 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
11434 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
11435 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
11436 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
11441 @node Article Buffer
11442 @chapter Article Buffer
11443 @cindex article buffer
11445 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
11446 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
11447 tell Gnus otherwise.
11450 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
11451 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
11452 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
11453 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
11454 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
11455 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
11459 @node Hiding Headers
11460 @section Hiding Headers
11461 @cindex hiding headers
11462 @cindex deleting headers
11464 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
11465 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
11467 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
11468 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
11469 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
11470 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
11471 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
11472 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
11473 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
11474 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
11475 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
11477 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
11481 @item gnus-visible-headers
11482 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
11483 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
11484 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
11485 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
11487 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
11488 the article and the subject, you'd say:
11491 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
11494 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11497 @item gnus-ignored-headers
11498 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
11499 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
11500 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
11501 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
11502 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
11504 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
11505 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
11508 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
11511 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11514 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
11515 variable will have no effect.
11519 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
11520 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
11521 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
11522 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
11523 the headers are to be displayed.
11525 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
11526 and then the subject, you might say something like:
11529 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
11532 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
11533 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
11535 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
11536 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
11537 You can hide further boring headers by setting
11538 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
11539 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
11540 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
11541 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
11544 These conditions are:
11547 Remove all empty headers.
11549 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11550 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11552 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11553 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11556 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11559 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11560 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11562 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11563 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11565 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
11566 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11568 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11571 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
11573 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
11576 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11579 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11580 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11583 This is also the default value for this variable.
11587 @section Using MIME
11588 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11590 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11591 while people stand around yawning.
11593 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11594 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11596 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11597 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11598 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11600 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
11601 @findex gnus-display-mime
11602 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
11603 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
11604 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
11605 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
11607 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
11608 @acronym{MIME} button:
11611 @findex gnus-article-press-button
11612 @item RET (Article)
11613 @kindex RET (Article)
11614 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
11615 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
11616 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
11617 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
11618 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
11619 object is displayed inline.
11621 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
11622 @item M-RET (Article)
11623 @kindex M-RET (Article)
11625 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11626 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
11628 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
11630 @kindex t (Article)
11631 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
11632 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
11634 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
11636 @kindex C (Article)
11637 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11638 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11640 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11642 @kindex o (Article)
11643 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11644 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11646 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11647 @item C-o (Article)
11648 @kindex C-o (Article)
11649 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11650 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11651 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11652 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11653 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11654 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11656 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
11658 @kindex r (Article)
11659 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
11660 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
11661 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
11663 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11665 @kindex d (Article)
11666 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11667 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11668 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11670 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
11672 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11674 @kindex c (Article)
11675 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11676 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11677 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11678 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11679 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11680 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11681 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11682 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11684 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11686 @kindex p (Article)
11687 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11688 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11689 @file{.mailcap} file.
11691 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11693 @kindex i (Article)
11694 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11695 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
11696 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11697 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11698 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11699 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11700 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11701 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11702 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11704 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11706 @kindex E (Article)
11707 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11708 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11709 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11711 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11713 @kindex e (Article)
11714 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11715 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11717 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11719 @kindex | (Article)
11720 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11722 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11724 @kindex . (Article)
11725 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11726 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11730 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11731 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11732 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11734 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11735 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11736 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11737 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11738 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11739 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11740 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11741 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11742 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11744 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11746 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11750 @section @acronym{HTML}
11751 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
11753 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
11754 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
11755 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
11756 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
11758 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
11759 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
11760 section only describes the default method.
11763 @item mm-text-html-renderer
11764 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
11765 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
11766 that's based on @code{w3m}.
11768 @item gnus-blocked-images
11769 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
11770 External images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't
11771 be fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s
11772 that have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
11775 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
11778 This can also be a function to be evaluated. If so, it will be
11779 called with the group name as the parameter. The default value is
11780 @code{gnus-block-private-groups}, which will return @samp{"."} for
11781 anything that isn't a newsgroup. This means that no external images
11782 will be fetched as a result of reading mail, so that nobody can use
11783 web bugs (and the like) to track whether you've read email.
11785 Also @pxref{Misc Article} for @code{gnus-inhibit-images}.
11787 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
11788 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
11789 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
11790 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
11793 @item gnus-html-cache-size
11794 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
11795 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
11796 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
11798 @item gnus-html-frame-width
11799 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
11800 The width to use when rendering HTML. The default is 70.
11802 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
11803 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
11804 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
11805 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
11806 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
11807 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
11808 fit these criteria.
11812 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
11813 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
11818 @node Customizing Articles
11819 @section Customizing Articles
11820 @cindex article customization
11822 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11823 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11824 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11825 called automatically when you select the articles.
11827 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11828 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11829 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11830 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11832 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11833 for sensible values.
11837 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11840 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11843 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11846 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11849 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11852 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11856 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11857 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11858 regexps in the list.
11861 A list where the first element is not a string:
11863 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11864 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11865 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11869 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11874 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11875 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11876 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11877 considered to contain just a single part.
11879 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11880 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11881 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11882 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11883 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11884 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11885 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11888 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
11889 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
11891 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
11892 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
11893 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
11894 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
11895 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
11896 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
11897 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
11898 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
11899 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
11900 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
11901 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
11902 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
11903 @vindex gnus-treat-date
11904 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
11905 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
11906 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
11907 @vindex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
11908 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
11909 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
11910 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
11911 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
11912 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
11913 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
11914 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
11915 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
11916 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
11917 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
11918 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
11919 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
11920 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
11921 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
11922 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
11923 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
11924 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
11925 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
11926 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
11927 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
11928 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
11929 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
11930 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
11931 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
11934 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11935 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11936 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11937 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11940 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11941 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11943 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11945 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11946 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11947 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11948 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11949 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11950 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11951 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11952 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11953 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11954 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11956 @xref{Article Washing}.
11958 @item gnus-treat-date (head)
11960 This will transform/add date headers according to the
11961 @code{gnus-article-date-headers} variable. This is a list of Date
11962 headers to display. The formats available are:
11966 Universal time, aka GMT, aka ZULU.
11969 The user's local time zone.
11972 A semi-readable English sentence.
11975 The time elapsed since the message was posted.
11977 @item combined-lapsed
11978 Both the original date header and a (shortened) elapsed time.
11981 The original date header.
11984 ISO8601 format, i.e., ``2010-11-23T22:05:21''.
11987 A format done according to the @code{gnus-article-time-format}
11992 @xref{Article Date}.
11994 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11995 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11996 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
12000 @item gnus-treat-from-gravatar (head)
12001 @item gnus-treat-mail-gravatar (head)
12005 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
12007 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
12009 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
12010 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
12011 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
12015 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12016 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12020 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12021 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12025 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12026 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12027 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12028 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12029 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12030 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12031 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12032 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12033 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12034 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12035 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12036 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12037 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12038 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12039 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12040 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12041 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12042 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12043 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12044 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12046 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12048 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12049 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12050 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12051 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12052 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12053 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12055 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12057 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12058 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12059 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12060 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12061 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12063 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12064 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12065 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12066 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12067 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12068 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12069 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12070 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12072 @xref{Article Header}.
12077 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12078 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12079 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12080 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12081 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12085 @node Article Keymap
12086 @section Article Keymap
12088 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12089 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12090 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12091 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12094 @kindex v (Article)
12095 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12096 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12097 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12099 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12104 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12105 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12106 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12107 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12110 @kindex DEL (Article)
12111 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12112 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12113 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12116 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12117 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12118 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12119 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12120 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12123 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12124 @findex gnus-article-mail
12125 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12126 given a prefix, include the mail.
12129 @kindex s (Article)
12130 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12131 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12132 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12135 @kindex ? (Article)
12136 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12137 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12138 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12141 @kindex TAB (Article)
12142 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12143 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12144 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12147 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12148 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12149 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12152 @kindex R (Article)
12153 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12154 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12155 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12156 only yank the text in the region.
12159 @kindex S W (Article)
12160 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12161 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12162 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12163 active, only yank the text in the region.
12166 @kindex F (Article)
12167 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12168 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12169 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12170 only yank the text in the region.
12177 @section Misc Article
12181 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12182 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12183 @cindex article buffers, several
12184 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12185 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12188 @item gnus-widen-article-window
12189 @cindex gnus-widen-article-window
12190 If non-@code{nil}, selecting the article buffer with the @kbd{h}
12191 command will ``widen'' the article window to take the entire frame.
12193 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12194 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12195 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12196 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12197 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12199 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12200 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12201 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12202 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12203 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12204 the contents of the article buffer.
12206 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12207 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12208 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12210 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12211 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12212 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12213 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12215 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12216 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12217 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12218 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12220 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12221 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12222 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12223 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12224 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12225 with two extensions:
12230 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12231 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12232 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12237 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12240 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12243 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12244 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12245 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
12248 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12251 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12254 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12259 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12263 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12265 @item gnus-break-pages
12266 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12267 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12268 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12269 paging will not be done.
12271 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12272 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12273 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12277 @cindex internationalized domain names
12278 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12279 @item gnus-use-idna
12280 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12281 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12282 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12283 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12284 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12285 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12287 @vindex gnus-inhibit-images
12288 @item gnus-inhibit-images
12289 If this is non-@code{nil}, inhibit displaying of images inline in the
12290 article body. It is effective to images that are in articles as
12291 @acronym{MIME} parts, and images in @acronym{HTML} articles rendered
12292 when @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization,
12293 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) is
12294 @code{shr} or @code{gnus-w3m}.
12299 @node Composing Messages
12300 @chapter Composing Messages
12301 @cindex composing messages
12304 @cindex sending mail
12309 @cindex using s/mime
12310 @cindex using smime
12312 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12313 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12314 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12315 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12316 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12317 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12320 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12321 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
12322 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
12323 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
12324 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
12325 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
12326 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
12327 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
12328 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
12331 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
12332 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
12338 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
12341 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
12342 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
12343 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
12344 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
12345 @code{nil} include all headers.
12347 @item gnus-add-to-list
12348 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
12349 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
12350 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
12352 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12353 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12354 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
12355 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
12356 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
12357 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
12358 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
12359 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
12361 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
12362 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
12364 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
12365 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
12366 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
12367 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
12368 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
12373 @node Posting Server
12374 @section Posting Server
12376 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
12377 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
12379 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
12381 It can be quite complicated.
12383 @vindex gnus-post-method
12384 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
12385 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
12386 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
12387 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
12388 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
12389 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
12390 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
12391 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
12392 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
12395 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
12398 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
12399 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
12400 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
12401 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
12403 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
12404 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
12406 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
12407 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
12410 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
12411 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
12413 @vindex message-send-mail-function
12414 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
12415 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
12416 value suitable for your system.
12417 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
12420 @node POP before SMTP
12421 @section POP before SMTP
12422 @cindex pop before smtp
12423 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
12424 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
12426 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
12427 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
12428 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
12429 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
12430 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
12433 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
12434 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
12438 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
12439 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
12440 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
12441 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
12442 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
12443 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
12444 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
12445 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
12447 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
12448 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
12449 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
12450 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
12451 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
12452 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
12455 (setq mail-source-primary-source
12456 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12457 :password "secret"))
12461 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
12462 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
12465 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
12467 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
12468 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12469 :password "secret")))
12470 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
12473 @node Mail and Post
12474 @section Mail and Post
12476 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
12480 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
12481 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
12482 @cindex mailing lists
12484 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
12485 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
12486 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
12487 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
12488 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
12489 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
12490 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
12491 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
12492 still a pain, though.
12494 @item gnus-user-agent
12495 @vindex gnus-user-agent
12498 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
12499 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
12500 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
12501 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
12502 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
12503 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
12504 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
12508 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
12509 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
12510 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
12513 @findex ispell-message
12515 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
12518 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
12519 you're in, you could say something like the following:
12522 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
12526 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
12527 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
12529 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
12532 Modify to suit your needs.
12534 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
12535 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
12536 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
12539 @node Archived Messages
12540 @section Archived Messages
12541 @cindex archived messages
12542 @cindex sent messages
12544 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
12545 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
12546 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
12547 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
12550 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
12551 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
12554 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
12555 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
12556 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
12557 actually being used it is expanded into:
12560 (nnfolder "archive"
12561 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
12562 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
12563 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
12564 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
12568 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
12569 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
12570 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
12571 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
12572 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
12573 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
12574 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12575 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
12576 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
12577 saved method to reflect always the value of
12578 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
12579 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
12580 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
12583 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
12584 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
12585 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
12586 directory chosen, you could say something like:
12589 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
12590 '(nnfolder "archive"
12591 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
12592 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
12593 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
12596 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
12598 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
12599 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
12600 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
12602 This variable can be used to do the following:
12606 Messages will be saved in that group.
12608 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
12609 message will not be stored in the select method given by
12610 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
12611 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12612 has the default value shown above. Then setting
12613 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
12614 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
12615 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
12618 @item a list of strings
12619 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
12621 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
12622 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
12625 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
12630 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
12632 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
12635 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
12637 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
12640 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
12642 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12643 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
12644 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
12645 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
12648 More complex stuff:
12650 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12651 '((if (message-news-p)
12656 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
12657 messages in one file per month:
12660 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12661 '((if (message-news-p)
12663 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
12666 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
12667 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
12668 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
12669 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
12670 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
12671 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
12672 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
12673 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
12674 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
12675 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
12678 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12679 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12680 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
12682 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12683 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12684 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
12685 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
12686 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
12687 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
12688 changed in the future.
12693 @node Posting Styles
12694 @section Posting Styles
12695 @cindex posting styles
12698 All them variables, they make my head swim.
12700 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
12701 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
12702 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
12705 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
12706 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
12707 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
12708 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
12709 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
12714 (signature "Peace and happiness")
12715 (organization "What me?"))
12717 (signature "Death to everybody"))
12718 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
12719 (organization "Emacs is it")))
12722 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
12723 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
12724 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
12725 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
12726 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
12727 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
12728 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
12729 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
12731 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
12732 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
12733 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
12734 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
12735 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
12736 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
12737 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
12738 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
12739 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
12740 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
12741 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
12742 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
12743 said to @dfn{match}.
12745 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
12746 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
12747 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
12748 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
12749 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
12750 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
12751 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
12752 name can be one of:
12755 @item @code{signature}
12756 @item @code{signature-file}
12757 @item @code{x-face-file}
12758 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
12759 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
12763 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
12764 @code{message-signature-directory}.
12766 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
12767 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
12768 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
12769 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
12770 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
12772 The attribute value can be a string, a function with zero arguments
12773 (the return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used)
12774 or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be
12775 used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
12776 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current
12777 article are available through the @code{message-reply-headers}
12778 variable, which is a vector of the following headers: number subject
12779 from date id references chars lines xref extra.
12781 In the case of a string value, if the @code{match} is a regular
12782 expression, a @samp{gnus-match-substitute-replacement} is proceed on
12783 the value to replace the positional parameters @samp{\@var{n}} by the
12784 corresponding parenthetical matches (see @xref{Replacing the Text that
12785 Matched, , Text Replacement, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.)
12787 @vindex message-reply-headers
12789 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
12790 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
12791 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
12793 @findex message-mail-p
12794 @findex message-news-p
12796 So here's a new example:
12799 (setq gnus-posting-styles
12801 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12803 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
12804 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12805 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12807 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
12808 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
12809 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
12810 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
12811 (signature my-news-signature))
12812 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
12813 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
12814 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
12815 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
12816 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
12817 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
12818 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
12819 (address "user@@bar.foo")
12820 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
12821 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
12823 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
12824 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
12826 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12829 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12830 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12831 if you fill many roles.
12832 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
12833 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
12839 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12840 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12841 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12842 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12843 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12845 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12846 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12847 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12848 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12849 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12853 @vindex nndraft-directory
12854 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12855 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12856 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12857 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12858 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12859 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12861 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12862 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12863 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12864 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12865 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12866 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12867 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12868 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12869 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12871 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12872 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12873 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12874 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12875 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12876 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12877 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12878 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12879 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12880 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12881 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12882 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12883 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12884 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12886 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12887 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12888 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12890 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12891 @kindex D e (Draft)
12892 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12893 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12894 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12896 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12899 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12900 @kindex D s (Draft)
12901 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12902 @kindex D S (Draft)
12903 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12904 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12905 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12906 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12907 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12910 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12911 @kindex D t (Draft)
12912 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12913 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12914 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12916 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
12917 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12920 @node Rejected Articles
12921 @section Rejected Articles
12922 @cindex rejected articles
12924 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12925 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12926 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12927 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12929 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12930 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12931 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12932 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12933 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12935 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12936 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12937 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12939 @node Signing and encrypting
12940 @section Signing and encrypting
12942 @cindex using s/mime
12943 @cindex using smime
12945 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12946 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12947 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12948 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12950 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12951 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12952 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12953 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12954 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12955 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12956 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12957 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12958 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12959 automatically encrypted messages.
12961 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12962 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12963 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12968 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12969 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12971 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12974 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12975 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12977 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12980 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12981 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12983 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12986 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12987 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12989 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12992 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12993 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12995 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12998 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12999 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13001 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13004 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13005 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13006 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13010 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13012 @node Select Methods
13013 @chapter Select Methods
13014 @cindex foreign groups
13015 @cindex select methods
13017 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13018 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13019 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13020 personal mail group.
13022 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13023 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13024 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
13025 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13026 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13027 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13029 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13030 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13032 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13035 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13036 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13037 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13038 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13039 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13041 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13044 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13045 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13046 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
13047 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13048 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13049 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13050 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13051 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13052 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13056 @node Server Buffer
13057 @section Server Buffer
13059 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13060 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13061 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13062 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13063 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13064 back end represents a virtual server.
13066 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13067 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13068 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13069 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13071 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13072 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13073 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13074 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13075 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13076 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13077 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13079 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13080 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13083 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13084 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13085 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13086 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13087 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13088 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13089 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13092 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13093 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13096 @node Server Buffer Format
13097 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13098 @cindex server buffer format
13100 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13101 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13102 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13103 variable, with some simple extensions:
13108 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13111 The name of this server.
13114 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13117 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13120 Whether this server is agentized.
13123 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13124 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13125 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13126 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13136 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13139 @node Server Commands
13140 @subsection Server Commands
13141 @cindex server commands
13147 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13148 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13149 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13153 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13154 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13158 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13159 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13163 @findex gnus-server-show-server
13164 Show the definition of a server (@code{gnus-server-show-server}).
13167 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13168 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13169 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13173 @findex gnus-server-exit
13174 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13178 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13179 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13183 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13184 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13188 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13189 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13193 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13194 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13198 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13199 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13200 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13205 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13206 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13207 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13208 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13212 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13214 Compact all groups in the server under point
13215 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13216 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13217 hence getting a correct total article count.
13221 Some more commands for closing, disabling, and re-opening servers are
13222 listed in @ref{Unavailable Servers}.
13225 @node Example Methods
13226 @subsection Example Methods
13228 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13231 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13234 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13240 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13241 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13244 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13245 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13247 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13248 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13252 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13255 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13256 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13258 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13259 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13260 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13264 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13267 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13270 Here's the method for a public spool:
13274 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13275 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13281 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13282 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13283 on the firewall machine and connect with
13284 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13285 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13286 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13287 should probably look something like this:
13291 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13292 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13293 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13296 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13297 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13298 configuration to the example above:
13301 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13304 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13305 an indirect connection:
13308 (setq gnus-select-method
13310 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13311 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13312 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
13313 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13314 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
13315 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
13318 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
13319 provide automatic authorization, of course.
13321 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
13322 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
13323 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
13327 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13328 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13329 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13333 @node Creating a Virtual Server
13334 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
13336 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
13337 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
13339 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
13340 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
13341 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
13343 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
13345 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
13346 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
13347 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
13348 will contain the following:
13358 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
13359 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
13362 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
13363 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
13364 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
13367 @node Server Variables
13368 @subsection Server Variables
13369 @cindex server variables
13370 @cindex server parameters
13372 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
13373 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
13374 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
13375 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
13376 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
13378 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
13379 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
13380 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
13381 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
13382 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
13383 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
13384 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
13385 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
13386 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
13390 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
13391 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
13392 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
13395 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
13397 @node Servers and Methods
13398 @subsection Servers and Methods
13400 Wherever you would normally use a select method
13401 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
13402 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
13403 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
13407 @node Unavailable Servers
13408 @subsection Unavailable Servers
13410 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
13411 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
13412 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
13413 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
13414 actually the case or not.
13416 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
13417 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
13418 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
13419 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
13420 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
13421 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
13422 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
13423 it will regard that server as ``down''.
13425 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
13426 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
13428 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
13429 with the following commands:
13435 @findex gnus-server-open-server
13436 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
13437 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
13441 @findex gnus-server-close-server
13442 Close the connection (if any) to the server
13443 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
13447 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
13448 Mark the current server as unreachable
13449 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
13452 @kindex M-o (Server)
13453 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
13454 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
13455 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
13458 @kindex M-c (Server)
13459 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
13460 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
13461 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
13465 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
13466 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
13467 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
13471 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13472 Copy a server and give it a new name
13473 (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}). This can be useful if you have a
13474 complex method definition, and want to use the same definition towards
13475 a different (physical) server.
13479 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
13480 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
13486 @section Getting News
13487 @cindex reading news
13488 @cindex news back ends
13490 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
13491 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
13492 or it can read from a local spool.
13495 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13496 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
13504 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
13505 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
13506 server as the, uhm, address.
13508 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
13509 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
13510 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
13511 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13513 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
13514 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
13515 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
13517 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
13522 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
13523 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
13524 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
13526 @cindex authentication
13527 @cindex nntp authentication
13528 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13529 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
13530 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
13531 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
13532 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
13533 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
13534 present in this hook.
13536 @item nntp-authinfo-function
13537 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
13538 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13539 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
13540 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
13541 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
13542 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
13543 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
13544 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
13545 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
13546 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
13547 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
13551 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
13554 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
13556 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
13557 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
13558 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
13559 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
13560 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
13561 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
13562 @samp{force} is explained below.
13566 Here's an example file:
13569 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
13570 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
13573 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
13574 have to be first, for instance.
13576 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
13577 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
13578 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
13579 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
13580 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
13581 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
13582 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
13584 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
13585 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
13591 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
13592 previously mentioned.
13594 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
13596 @item nntp-server-action-alist
13597 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
13598 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
13599 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
13600 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
13603 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
13604 '(("innd" (ding))))
13607 You probably don't want to do that, though.
13609 The default value is
13612 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
13613 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
13614 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
13617 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
13618 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
13620 @item nntp-maximum-request
13621 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
13622 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
13623 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
13624 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
13625 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
13626 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
13627 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
13629 @item nntp-connection-timeout
13630 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
13631 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
13632 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
13633 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
13634 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
13635 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
13636 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
13637 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
13638 no timeouts are done.
13640 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
13641 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
13642 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
13643 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
13646 @item nntp-xover-commands
13647 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
13648 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
13650 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
13651 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
13655 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
13656 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
13657 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
13658 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
13659 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
13660 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
13661 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
13662 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
13663 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
13664 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
13665 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
13667 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13668 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13669 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
13670 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
13671 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
13672 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
13673 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
13674 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
13675 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
13676 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
13677 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
13678 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
13679 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
13680 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
13681 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
13682 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
13683 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
13686 (setq gnus-select-method
13688 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
13689 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
13693 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
13695 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
13696 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
13697 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13699 @item nntp-record-commands
13700 @vindex nntp-record-commands
13701 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
13702 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
13703 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
13704 that doesn't seem to work.
13706 @item nntp-open-connection-function
13707 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
13708 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
13709 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
13710 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
13711 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
13712 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
13713 indirect ones (three pre-made).
13715 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
13716 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
13717 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
13718 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
13719 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
13720 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
13721 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
13722 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
13723 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
13725 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13726 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13727 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
13728 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
13729 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
13730 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
13731 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
13733 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
13734 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
13735 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
13736 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
13737 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
13738 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
13739 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
13742 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
13745 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
13746 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
13748 @item nntp-server-list-active-group
13749 If @code{nil}, then always use @samp{GROUP} instead of @samp{LIST
13750 ACTIVE}. This is usually slower, but on misconfigured servers that
13751 don't update their active files often, this can help.
13757 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
13758 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
13759 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
13760 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
13764 @node Direct Functions
13765 @subsubsection Direct Functions
13766 @cindex direct connection functions
13768 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
13769 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
13770 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
13771 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13774 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
13775 @item nntp-open-network-stream
13776 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
13777 remote system. If both Emacs and the server supports it, the
13778 connection will be upgraded to an encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS}
13779 connection automatically.
13782 The same as the above, but don't do automatic @acronym{STARTTLS} upgrades.
13784 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
13785 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
13786 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13787 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
13788 installed. You then define a server as follows:
13791 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13792 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
13794 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13795 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
13796 (nntp-port-number 563)
13797 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13800 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
13801 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
13802 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13803 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
13804 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
13805 then define a server as follows:
13808 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13809 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
13811 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13812 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
13813 (nntp-port-number 563)
13814 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13817 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
13818 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
13819 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
13820 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
13821 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
13822 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
13823 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
13824 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
13828 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13829 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13830 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13833 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
13834 session, which is not a good idea.
13836 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
13837 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
13838 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
13839 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
13840 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
13841 not available. The previous example would turn into:
13845 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13846 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
13847 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
13848 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
13853 @node Indirect Functions
13854 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
13855 @cindex indirect connection functions
13857 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
13858 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13859 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
13860 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
13861 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
13862 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13865 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13866 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13867 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
13868 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
13869 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
13871 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13874 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13875 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13876 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13877 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13879 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13880 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13881 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13882 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13883 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13884 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
13887 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13888 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13889 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
13890 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13891 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
13892 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
13894 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13897 @item nntp-telnet-command
13898 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13899 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13900 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
13902 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13903 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13904 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13905 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
13907 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13908 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13909 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13910 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13912 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13913 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13914 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13915 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
13916 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13917 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13918 host. The default is @code{nil}.
13921 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13922 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13924 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13925 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13926 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13927 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13929 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13932 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13933 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13934 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13937 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13938 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13939 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13940 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13942 @item nntp-via-user-password
13943 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13944 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13946 @item nntp-via-envuser
13947 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13948 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13949 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13950 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13952 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13953 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13954 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13955 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13959 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13960 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13964 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13969 @item nntp-via-user-name
13970 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13971 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13973 @item nntp-via-address
13974 @vindex nntp-via-address
13975 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13980 @node Common Variables
13981 @subsubsection Common Variables
13983 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13984 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13985 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
13986 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
13987 variables individually).
13991 @item nntp-pre-command
13992 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13993 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13994 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13995 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
13996 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13999 @vindex nntp-address
14000 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14002 @item nntp-port-number
14003 @vindex nntp-port-number
14004 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14005 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14006 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14007 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14008 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14009 not work with named ports.
14011 @item nntp-end-of-line
14012 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14013 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14014 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14015 using a non native telnet connection function.
14017 @item nntp-netcat-command
14018 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14019 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14020 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14021 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14024 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14025 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14026 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14032 @subsubsection NNTP marks
14033 @cindex storing NNTP marks
14035 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
14036 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
14037 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
14038 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
14039 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
14040 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
14041 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
14042 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
14044 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
14045 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
14046 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
14047 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
14048 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14050 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
14051 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
14052 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
14053 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
14054 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
14055 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
14056 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
14058 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
14059 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
14060 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
14066 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
14067 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
14068 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
14069 default is @code{nil}.
14071 @item nntp-marks-directory
14072 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
14073 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
14079 @subsection News Spool
14083 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14084 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14085 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14088 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14089 anything else) as the address.
14091 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14092 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14093 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14094 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14098 @item nnspool-inews-program
14099 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14100 Program used to post an article.
14102 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14103 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14104 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14106 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14107 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14108 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14109 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14111 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14112 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14113 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14114 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14116 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14117 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14118 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14120 @item nnspool-active-file
14121 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14122 The name of the active file.
14124 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14125 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14126 The name of the group descriptions file.
14128 @item nnspool-history-file
14129 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14130 The name of the news history file.
14132 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14133 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14134 The name of the active date file.
14136 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14137 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14138 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14141 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14142 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14144 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14145 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14146 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14153 @section Using IMAP
14156 The most popular mail backend is probably @code{nnimap}, which
14157 provides access to @acronym{IMAP} servers. @acronym{IMAP} servers
14158 store mail remotely, so the client doesn't store anything locally.
14159 This means that it's a convenient choice when you're reading your mail
14160 from different locations, or with different user agents.
14163 * Connecting to an IMAP Server:: Getting started with @acronym{IMAP}.
14164 * Customizing the IMAP Connection:: Variables for @acronym{IMAP} connection.
14165 * Client-Side IMAP Splitting:: Put mail in the correct mail box.
14169 @node Connecting to an IMAP Server
14170 @subsection Connecting to an IMAP Server
14172 Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} can be very easy. Type @kbd{B} in the
14173 group buffer, or (if your primary interest is reading email), say
14177 (setq gnus-select-method
14178 '(nnimap "imap.gmail.com"))
14181 You'll be prompted for a user name and password. If you grow tired of
14182 that, then add the following to your @file{~/.authinfo} file:
14185 machine imap.gmail.com login <username> password <password> port imap
14188 That should basically be it for most users.
14191 @node Customizing the IMAP Connection
14192 @subsection Customizing the IMAP Connection
14194 Here's an example method that's more complex:
14197 (nnimap "imap.gmail.com"
14198 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14199 (nnimap-split-methods default)
14201 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14205 @item nnimap-address
14206 The address of the server, like @samp{imap.gmail.com}.
14208 @item nnimap-server-port
14209 If the server uses a non-standard port, that can be specified here. A
14210 typical port would be @code{"imap"} or @code{"imaps"}.
14212 @item nnimap-stream
14213 How @code{nnimap} should connect to the server. Possible values are:
14217 This is the default, and this first tries the @code{ssl} setting, and
14218 then tries the @code{network} setting.
14221 This uses standard @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14224 Non-encrypted and unsafe straight socket connection, but will upgrade
14225 to encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} if both Emacs and the server
14229 Encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} over the normal @acronym{IMAP} port.
14232 If you need to tunnel via other systems to connect to the server, you
14233 can use this option, and customize @code{nnimap-shell-program} to be
14238 @item nnimap-authenticator
14239 Some @acronym{IMAP} servers allow anonymous logins. In that case,
14240 this should be set to @code{anonymous}.
14242 @item nnimap-expunge
14243 If non-@code{nil}, expunge articles after deleting them. This is always done
14244 if the server supports UID EXPUNGE, but it's not done by default on
14245 servers that doesn't support that command.
14247 @item nnimap-streaming
14248 Virtually all @code{IMAP} server support fast streaming of data. If
14249 you have problems connecting to the server, try setting this to @code{nil}.
14251 @item nnimap-fetch-partial-articles
14252 If non-@code{nil}, fetch partial articles from the server. If set to
14253 a string, then it's interpreted as a regexp, and parts that have
14254 matching types will be fetched. For instance, @samp{"text/"} will
14255 fetch all textual parts, while leaving the rest on the server.
14260 @node Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14261 @subsection Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14263 Many people prefer to do the sorting/splitting of mail into their mail
14264 boxes on the @acronym{IMAP} server. That way they don't have to
14265 download the mail they're not all that interested in.
14267 If you do want to do client-side mail splitting, then the following
14268 variables are relevant:
14272 This is the @acronym{IMAP} mail box that will be scanned for new mail.
14274 @item nnimap-split-methods
14275 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-methods} (@pxref{Splitting
14276 Mail}), except the symbol @code{default}, which means that it should
14277 use the value of the @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable.
14279 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14280 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14282 @item nnimap-unsplittable-articles
14283 List of flag symbols to ignore when doing splitting. That is,
14284 articles that have these flags won't be considered when splitting.
14285 The default is @samp{(%Deleted %Seen)}.
14289 Here's a complete example @code{nnimap} backend with a client-side
14290 ``fancy'' splitting method:
14293 (nnimap "imap.example.com"
14294 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14295 (nnimap-split-methods
14296 (| ("MailScanner-SpamCheck" "spam" "spam.detected")
14297 (to "foo@@bar.com" "foo")
14303 @section Getting Mail
14304 @cindex reading mail
14307 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
14311 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14312 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14313 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14314 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14315 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14316 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14317 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14318 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14319 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14320 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14321 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14322 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14323 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14327 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14328 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14330 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14331 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14332 of a culture shock.
14334 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14335 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14337 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14338 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14339 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14340 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14342 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14344 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14345 deleted? How awful!
14347 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14348 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14349 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14350 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14353 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14354 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14355 they want to treat a message.
14357 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14358 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14359 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14360 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14361 archived somewhere else.
14363 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14364 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14365 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14366 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
14367 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
14369 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
14370 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
14371 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
14373 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
14374 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
14377 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
14378 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
14379 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
14380 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
14381 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
14383 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
14384 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
14385 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
14386 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
14387 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
14388 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
14392 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
14393 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
14395 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
14396 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
14397 and things will happen automatically.
14399 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
14400 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14403 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14406 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
14407 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
14408 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
14409 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
14410 like any other group.
14412 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
14415 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14416 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14417 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14421 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
14422 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
14423 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
14426 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
14427 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
14428 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
14431 @node Splitting Mail
14432 @subsection Splitting Mail
14433 @cindex splitting mail
14434 @cindex mail splitting
14435 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
14437 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
14438 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
14439 to be split into groups.
14442 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14443 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14444 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14445 ("mail.other" "")))
14448 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
14449 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
14450 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
14451 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
14452 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
14453 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
14454 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
14457 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
14461 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
14462 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14464 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14465 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
14466 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
14467 mail belongs in that group.
14469 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
14470 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
14471 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
14472 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
14473 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
14474 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
14475 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
14476 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
14477 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
14478 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
14480 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
14481 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
14482 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
14483 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
14484 thinks should carry this mail message.
14486 This variable can also be a fancy split method. For the syntax,
14487 see @ref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14489 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
14490 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
14491 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
14492 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
14494 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
14495 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
14496 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
14497 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
14498 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
14500 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
14503 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
14504 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
14505 links. If that's the case for you, set
14506 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
14507 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
14509 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
14510 @findex nnmail-split-history
14511 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
14512 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
14513 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
14514 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
14517 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
14518 Header lines longer than the value of
14519 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
14522 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
14523 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
14524 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
14525 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
14526 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
14527 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
14528 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
14529 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
14530 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
14531 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
14532 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
14533 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
14535 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
14536 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
14537 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
14538 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
14539 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
14540 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
14541 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
14542 other kinds of entries.)
14544 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
14545 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
14546 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
14547 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
14548 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
14549 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
14550 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
14551 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
14552 month's rent money.
14556 @subsection Mail Sources
14558 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
14559 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
14560 maildir, for instance.
14563 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
14564 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
14565 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
14569 @node Mail Source Specifiers
14570 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
14572 @cindex mail server
14575 @cindex mail source
14577 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
14578 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
14583 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
14586 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
14587 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
14588 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
14591 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
14592 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
14593 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
14594 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
14595 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
14596 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
14597 group might look like this:
14600 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
14603 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
14604 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
14606 The following mail source types are available:
14610 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
14616 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
14617 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
14618 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
14622 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14625 An example file mail source:
14628 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
14631 Or using the default file name:
14637 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
14638 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
14639 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
14640 mail spool while moving the mail.
14642 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
14646 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
14649 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
14653 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
14656 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
14658 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
14661 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
14662 file you want to use.
14666 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
14667 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
14668 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
14669 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
14670 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
14671 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
14672 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
14673 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
14674 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
14675 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
14677 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
14678 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
14679 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
14680 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
14686 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
14690 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
14694 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
14695 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
14696 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
14697 predicate are considered.
14701 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14705 An example directory mail source:
14708 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
14713 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14719 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
14720 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14723 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
14724 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
14725 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
14726 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
14727 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
14730 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
14734 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
14735 the user is prompted.
14738 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
14739 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
14742 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
14745 The valid format specifier characters are:
14749 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
14750 included in this string.
14753 The name of the server.
14756 The port number of the server.
14759 The user name to use.
14762 The password to use.
14765 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14766 corresponding keywords.
14769 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14770 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14773 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14774 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14777 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
14778 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
14779 mail should be moved to.
14781 @item :authentication
14782 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
14783 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
14788 @vindex pop3-movemail
14789 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
14790 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
14791 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
14792 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
14793 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
14794 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
14795 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
14796 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
14797 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
14799 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14800 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
14801 name, and default fetcher:
14807 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
14810 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
14811 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
14814 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
14817 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
14821 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
14822 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
14823 contains exactly one mail.
14829 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
14830 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
14833 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
14834 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
14836 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
14837 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
14838 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
14841 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
14842 from locking problems).
14846 Two example maildir mail sources:
14849 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
14850 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
14854 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
14859 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
14860 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
14861 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
14862 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
14863 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{Using IMAP}, for more information.
14869 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
14870 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14873 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
14874 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14877 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
14881 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
14885 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
14886 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
14887 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
14888 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
14890 @item :authentication
14891 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
14892 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
14893 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
14894 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
14897 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
14898 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
14899 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
14905 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
14906 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
14907 specifier characters are:
14911 The name of the server.
14914 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
14917 The port number of the server.
14920 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14921 corresponding keywords.
14924 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
14925 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
14928 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
14929 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
14930 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
14931 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
14932 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
14933 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
14936 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
14937 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
14938 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
14939 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
14942 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
14943 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
14947 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
14950 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
14952 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
14956 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
14957 @xref{Group Parameters}.
14962 @item Common Keywords
14963 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
14969 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
14970 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
14975 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
14980 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
14981 useful when you use local mail and news.
14986 @subsubsection Function Interface
14988 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
14989 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
14990 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
14991 consider the following mail-source setting:
14994 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
14995 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
14998 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
14999 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15000 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15001 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15002 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15004 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15007 @node Mail Source Customization
15008 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15010 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15011 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15015 @item mail-source-crash-box
15016 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15017 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15018 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15021 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15022 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15023 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15024 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15025 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15026 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15027 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15028 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15029 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15030 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15032 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15033 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15034 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15035 files. This variable only applies when
15036 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15038 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15039 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15040 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15042 @item mail-source-directory
15043 @vindex mail-source-directory
15044 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15045 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15046 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15047 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15049 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15050 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15051 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15052 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15053 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15054 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15057 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15058 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15059 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
15061 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15062 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15063 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15064 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15069 @node Fetching Mail
15070 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15072 @vindex mail-sources
15073 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15074 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15075 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15077 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15078 fetch mail by themselves.
15080 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15081 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15086 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15087 :password "secret")))
15090 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15094 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15095 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15098 :password "secret")))
15102 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15103 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15104 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15105 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15106 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15107 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15111 @node Mail Back End Variables
15112 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15114 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15118 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15119 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15120 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15121 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15123 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15124 @item nnmail-split-hook
15125 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15126 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15127 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15128 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15129 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15130 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15131 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15132 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15133 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15136 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15137 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15138 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15139 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15140 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15141 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15142 starting to handle the new mail) and
15143 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15144 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15145 default file modes the new mail files get:
15148 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15149 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
15151 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15152 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
15155 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15156 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15157 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15158 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15159 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15160 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15161 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15163 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15164 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15165 @findex delete-file
15166 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15168 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15169 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15170 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15171 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15172 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15174 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15175 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15176 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15177 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15178 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15180 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15181 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15182 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15187 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15188 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15189 @cindex mail splitting
15190 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15192 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15193 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15194 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15195 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15196 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15197 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15199 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15202 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15203 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15204 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15205 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15207 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15208 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15209 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15210 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15211 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15212 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15213 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15214 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15215 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15216 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15217 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15218 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15219 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15220 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15221 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15222 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15223 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15227 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15228 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15229 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15234 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15235 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15237 @c Don't fold this line.
15238 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15239 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15240 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15241 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15244 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15245 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15246 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15247 @var{split} is processed.
15249 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15250 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15251 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15252 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15254 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15255 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15256 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15257 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15258 stored in one or more groups.
15260 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15261 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15262 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15265 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15266 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15268 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15269 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15270 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15271 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15274 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15275 body of the messages:
15278 (defun split-on-body ()
15282 (goto-char (point-min))
15283 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15287 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15288 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15289 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15290 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15291 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15292 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15293 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
15295 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15296 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15297 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15298 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15299 should return a split.
15302 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15306 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15308 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15309 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15310 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15311 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15315 (any "joe" "joemail")
15319 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15320 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15321 of the following three ways:
15325 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15326 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15327 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15328 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15329 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15332 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15335 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15336 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15337 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15338 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15339 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15342 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15343 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15344 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15345 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15346 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15347 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15348 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15351 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15352 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15353 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15354 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15355 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
15356 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
15357 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
15361 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
15363 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
15364 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
15366 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
15369 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
15370 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
15371 when all this splitting is performed.
15373 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
15374 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
15375 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
15378 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
15381 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
15382 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
15384 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
15385 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
15386 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
15387 groupings 1 through 9.
15389 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
15390 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
15391 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
15392 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
15393 groups when users send to an address using different case
15394 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
15397 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
15398 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
15399 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
15400 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
15401 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
15402 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
15403 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
15404 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
15405 it once per thread.
15407 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
15408 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
15409 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
15410 using the colon feature, like so:
15412 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
15413 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
15415 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
15416 ;; @r{other splits go here}
15420 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
15421 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
15422 in the file specified by the variable
15423 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
15424 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
15425 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
15426 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
15427 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
15428 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
15429 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
15430 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
15431 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
15432 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
15433 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
15434 300 kBytes in size.)
15435 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15436 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
15437 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
15438 messages goes into the new group.
15440 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
15441 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
15442 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
15443 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
15444 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
15445 ``outgoing'' group.
15448 @node Group Mail Splitting
15449 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
15450 @cindex mail splitting
15451 @cindex group mail splitting
15453 @findex gnus-group-split
15454 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
15455 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
15456 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
15457 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
15458 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
15459 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
15460 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
15461 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
15463 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
15464 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
15465 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
15466 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
15468 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
15469 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
15470 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
15471 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
15472 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
15473 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
15474 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
15476 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
15477 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
15478 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
15479 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
15480 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
15481 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
15482 @code{gnus-group-split}.
15484 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
15485 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
15486 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
15487 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
15488 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
15489 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
15490 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
15491 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
15492 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
15493 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
15494 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
15495 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
15496 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
15498 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
15503 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
15504 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
15506 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
15507 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
15508 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
15509 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
15511 ((split-spec . catch-all))
15514 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
15515 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
15516 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
15519 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
15520 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
15521 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
15525 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
15526 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
15527 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15531 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
15534 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
15535 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
15536 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
15537 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
15538 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
15539 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
15540 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
15541 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
15542 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
15544 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
15545 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
15546 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
15547 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
15548 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
15549 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
15550 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
15551 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
15552 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
15554 @findex gnus-group-split-update
15555 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
15556 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
15557 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
15558 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
15559 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
15562 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
15565 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
15566 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
15567 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
15568 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
15569 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
15572 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
15573 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
15574 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
15575 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
15577 @node Incorporating Old Mail
15578 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
15579 @cindex incorporating old mail
15580 @cindex import old mail
15582 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
15583 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
15584 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
15587 Doing so can be quite easy.
15589 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
15590 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
15591 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
15592 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
15593 your @code{nnml} groups.
15599 Go to the group buffer.
15602 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
15603 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15606 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
15609 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
15610 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15613 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
15614 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
15617 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
15618 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
15619 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
15620 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
15621 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
15623 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
15624 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
15625 using the new mail back end.
15628 @node Expiring Mail
15629 @subsection Expiring Mail
15630 @cindex article expiry
15631 @cindex expiring mail
15633 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
15634 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
15635 different approach to mail reading.
15637 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
15638 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
15639 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
15640 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
15641 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
15642 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
15645 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
15646 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
15647 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
15648 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
15649 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
15650 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
15651 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
15652 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
15653 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
15655 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-marks
15656 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
15657 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
15658 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
15659 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
15660 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
15661 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
15662 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} (and so on) are considered
15663 expirable. @code{gnus-auto-expirable-marks} has the full list of
15666 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
15667 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
15668 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
15669 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
15670 into its own group.)
15672 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
15673 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
15674 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
15675 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
15676 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
15677 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
15678 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
15679 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
15682 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15683 Groups that match the regular expression
15684 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
15685 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
15686 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
15688 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
15689 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
15690 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
15691 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
15692 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15694 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
15696 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
15697 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
15698 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
15701 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
15702 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
15703 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
15704 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
15705 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
15707 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
15708 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
15711 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15712 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
15715 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
15716 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
15718 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
15719 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
15720 don't really mix very well.
15722 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
15723 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
15724 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
15725 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
15728 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
15729 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
15730 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
15731 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
15734 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15736 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15738 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
15740 ((string= group "mail.junk")
15742 ((string= group "important")
15748 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
15749 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
15751 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
15752 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
15753 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
15756 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
15757 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
15759 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
15760 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
15761 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
15762 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
15763 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
15764 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
15765 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
15766 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
15767 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
15768 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
15769 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
15770 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
15771 name or @code{delete}.
15773 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
15775 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
15778 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15779 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15780 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
15781 expire mail to groups according to the variable
15782 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
15785 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15786 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15787 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
15788 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
15789 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
15792 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
15793 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
15794 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
15795 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
15796 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
15797 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
15799 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
15800 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
15801 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
15802 easier for procmail users.
15804 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
15805 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
15806 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
15807 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
15808 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
15809 caution. Even more dangerous is the
15810 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
15811 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
15812 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
15813 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
15814 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
15815 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
15816 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
15819 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
15821 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
15822 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
15823 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
15824 auto-expire turned on.
15826 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
15827 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
15828 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
15829 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
15830 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
15831 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
15832 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
15833 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
15834 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
15835 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
15836 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
15837 into auto-expire groups, you can set
15838 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
15839 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
15840 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
15841 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
15845 @subsection Washing Mail
15846 @cindex mail washing
15847 @cindex list server brain damage
15848 @cindex incoming mail treatment
15850 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
15851 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
15852 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
15853 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
15854 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
15855 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
15857 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
15858 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
15859 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
15862 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
15863 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
15864 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
15865 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
15868 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15869 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15870 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
15871 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
15872 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
15875 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15876 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15877 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
15878 Emacs running on MS machines.
15882 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15883 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15884 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
15885 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
15888 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15889 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15890 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
15891 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
15893 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
15894 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
15895 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
15896 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
15897 into a feature by documenting it.)
15899 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15900 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15901 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
15902 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
15903 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
15904 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
15905 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
15908 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
15909 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
15912 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
15913 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
15916 This can also be done non-destructively with
15917 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
15919 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
15920 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
15921 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
15923 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15924 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15925 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
15928 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
15929 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
15930 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
15931 contain a line matching the regular expression
15932 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
15936 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15937 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15938 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
15942 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
15943 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
15944 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
15951 @subsection Duplicates
15953 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
15954 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
15955 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
15956 @cindex duplicate mails
15957 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
15958 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
15959 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
15960 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
15961 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
15962 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
15963 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
15964 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
15965 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
15966 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
15967 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
15968 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
15969 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
15971 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
15972 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
15973 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
15974 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
15976 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
15979 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
15980 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
15984 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
15985 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
15986 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
15987 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
15988 (any mail "mail.misc")
15989 ;; @r{Other rules.}
15995 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15996 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
15997 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16001 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16002 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16003 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16004 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16005 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16008 @node Not Reading Mail
16009 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16011 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16012 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16013 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16015 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16016 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16017 mail, which should help.
16019 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16020 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16021 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16022 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16023 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16024 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16025 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16026 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16027 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16028 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16029 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16031 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16032 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16036 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16037 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16039 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16040 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16041 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16043 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16044 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16045 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16049 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16050 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16051 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16052 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16053 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16054 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16055 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16060 @node Unix Mail Box
16061 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16063 @cindex unix mail box
16065 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16066 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16067 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16068 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16069 which group it belongs in.
16071 Virtual server settings:
16074 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16075 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16076 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16079 @item nnmbox-active-file
16080 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16081 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16082 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16084 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16085 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16086 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16087 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16092 @subsubsection Babyl
16095 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16096 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16097 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16098 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16099 group it belongs in.
16101 Virtual server settings:
16104 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16105 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16106 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16108 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16109 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16110 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16111 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16113 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16114 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16115 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16121 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16123 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16125 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16126 format. It should be used with some caution.
16128 @vindex nnml-directory
16129 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16130 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16131 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16132 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16134 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16137 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16138 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16139 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16140 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16141 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16142 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16143 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16144 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16146 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16147 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16148 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16149 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16151 @cindex self contained nnml servers
16153 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
16154 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16155 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16156 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
16157 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
16158 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
16159 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
16160 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
16163 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
16164 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
16165 them next time it starts.
16167 Virtual server settings:
16170 @item nnml-directory
16171 @vindex nnml-directory
16172 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16173 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16176 @item nnml-active-file
16177 @vindex nnml-active-file
16178 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16179 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16181 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16182 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16183 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16184 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16186 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16187 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16188 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16191 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16192 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16193 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16194 default is @code{nil}.
16196 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16197 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16198 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16200 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16201 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16202 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16204 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
16205 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
16206 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16207 default is @code{nil}.
16209 @item nnml-marks-file-name
16210 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
16211 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
16213 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16214 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16215 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16216 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16217 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16218 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16219 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16220 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16221 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16223 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16224 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16225 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16226 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16227 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16231 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16232 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16233 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16234 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16235 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16236 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16237 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16242 @subsubsection MH Spool
16244 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16246 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16247 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16248 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16249 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16252 Virtual server settings:
16255 @item nnmh-directory
16256 @vindex nnmh-directory
16257 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16258 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16261 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16262 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16263 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16267 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16268 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16269 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16270 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16271 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16272 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16273 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16278 @subsubsection Maildir
16282 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16283 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16284 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16285 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16286 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16289 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16290 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16291 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16292 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16293 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16294 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16295 that appear as group in Gnus.
16297 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16298 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16299 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16301 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16302 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16303 another, and you will keep your marks.
16305 Virtual server settings:
16309 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16310 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16311 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16312 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16313 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16314 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16315 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16316 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16317 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16318 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16320 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16321 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16322 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16323 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16324 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16325 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16326 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16327 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16328 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16329 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16332 @item target-prefix
16333 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16334 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16335 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16338 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16339 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16340 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16341 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16342 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16343 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16344 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16345 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16346 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16348 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16349 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16350 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16351 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16352 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16354 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16355 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16356 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16357 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
16358 @code{force} argument.
16360 @item directory-files
16361 This should be a function with the same interface as
16362 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
16363 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
16364 parameter is optional; the default is
16365 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
16366 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
16367 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
16368 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
16369 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
16370 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
16373 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
16374 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
16375 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
16376 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
16377 value is @code{nil}.
16379 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
16380 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
16381 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
16382 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
16383 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
16386 @subsubsection Group parameters
16388 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
16389 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
16390 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
16391 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
16392 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
16393 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
16396 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
16397 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
16398 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
16399 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
16400 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
16401 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
16402 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
16403 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
16404 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
16408 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
16409 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
16410 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
16411 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
16412 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
16413 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
16414 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
16415 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
16416 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
16417 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
16418 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
16419 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
16420 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
16423 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
16425 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
16427 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
16428 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
16429 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
16430 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
16431 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
16432 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
16433 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
16434 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
16435 article. So that form can refer to
16436 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
16437 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
16438 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
16439 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
16442 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
16443 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
16444 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
16445 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
16446 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
16447 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
16448 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
16449 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
16450 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
16451 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
16452 contain extra copies of the articles.
16454 @item directory-files
16455 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
16456 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
16457 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
16458 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
16460 @item distrust-Lines:
16461 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
16462 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
16463 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
16466 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
16467 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
16468 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
16469 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
16470 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
16471 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
16474 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
16475 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
16476 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
16477 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
16478 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
16479 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
16480 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
16482 @item nov-cache-size
16483 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
16484 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
16485 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
16486 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
16487 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
16488 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
16489 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
16490 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
16491 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
16492 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
16493 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
16496 @subsubsection Article identification
16497 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
16498 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
16499 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
16500 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
16501 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
16502 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
16503 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
16504 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
16505 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
16506 request the article in the summary buffer.
16508 @subsubsection NOV data
16509 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
16510 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
16511 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
16512 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
16513 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
16514 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
16515 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
16516 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
16517 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
16518 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
16519 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
16521 @subsubsection Article marks
16522 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
16523 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
16524 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
16525 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
16526 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
16527 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
16528 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
16529 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
16531 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
16532 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
16533 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
16534 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
16535 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
16536 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
16537 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
16538 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
16539 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
16543 @subsubsection Mail Folders
16545 @cindex mbox folders
16546 @cindex mail folders
16548 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
16549 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
16550 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
16551 numbers and arrival dates.
16553 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
16555 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
16556 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
16557 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
16558 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
16559 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
16560 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
16561 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
16562 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
16563 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
16564 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
16566 Virtual server settings:
16569 @item nnfolder-directory
16570 @vindex nnfolder-directory
16571 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
16572 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
16573 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
16575 @item nnfolder-active-file
16576 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
16577 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
16579 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16580 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16581 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16582 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
16584 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
16585 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16586 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
16587 default is @code{t}
16589 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16590 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16591 @cindex backup files
16592 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
16593 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
16594 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
16595 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
16598 (defun turn-off-backup ()
16599 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
16601 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
16604 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16605 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16606 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
16607 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
16608 extract some information from it before removing it.
16610 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16611 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16612 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16613 default is @code{nil}.
16615 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16616 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16617 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
16619 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
16620 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
16621 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
16622 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
16624 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
16625 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
16626 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16627 default is @code{nil}.
16629 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
16630 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
16631 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
16633 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
16634 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
16635 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
16636 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
16641 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
16642 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
16643 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
16644 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
16645 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
16646 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
16649 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
16650 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
16652 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
16653 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
16654 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
16655 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
16656 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
16658 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
16659 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
16660 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
16661 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
16662 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
16663 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
16664 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
16665 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
16668 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
16669 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
16670 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
16671 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
16676 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
16677 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
16678 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
16679 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
16680 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
16681 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
16682 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
16683 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
16684 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
16685 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
16686 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
16687 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
16688 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
16693 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
16694 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
16695 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
16696 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
16697 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
16698 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
16699 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
16700 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
16701 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
16702 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
16703 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
16704 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
16705 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
16706 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
16707 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
16709 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
16710 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
16715 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
16716 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
16717 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
16718 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
16719 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
16720 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
16721 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
16722 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
16723 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
16724 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
16725 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
16726 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
16727 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
16728 provided by the active file and overviews.
16730 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
16731 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
16732 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
16733 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
16734 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
16737 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
16738 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
16743 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
16744 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
16745 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
16746 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
16747 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
16748 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
16749 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
16753 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
16754 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
16755 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
16756 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
16757 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
16758 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
16759 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
16760 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
16761 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
16763 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
16764 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
16765 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
16766 friendly mail back end all over.
16770 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
16771 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
16774 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
16775 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
16776 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
16777 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
16778 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}.
16779 (Use @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this
16780 slows you down or takes up very much space, a non-block-structured
16783 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
16784 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
16785 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
16786 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
16787 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
16788 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
16789 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
16790 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
16791 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
16792 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
16793 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
16795 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
16796 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
16797 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
16798 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
16799 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
16802 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
16803 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
16804 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
16805 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
16806 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
16807 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
16808 removed in the future.
16810 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
16811 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
16812 on your file system.
16814 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
16815 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
16820 @node Browsing the Web
16821 @section Browsing the Web
16823 @cindex browsing the web
16827 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
16828 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
16829 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
16830 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
16831 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
16832 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
16833 even know what a news group is.
16835 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
16836 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
16837 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
16838 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
16839 you mad in the end.
16841 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
16844 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
16845 interfaces to these sources.
16849 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
16850 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
16851 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
16854 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
16855 alternatives to work.
16857 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
16858 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
16859 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
16860 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
16861 though, you should be ok.
16863 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
16864 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
16865 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
16866 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
16867 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
16869 @node Archiving Mail
16870 @subsection Archiving Mail
16871 @cindex archiving mail
16872 @cindex backup of mail
16874 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
16875 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
16876 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
16877 marks is fairly simple.
16879 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
16880 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
16883 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
16884 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
16885 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
16886 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
16887 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
16888 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
16889 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
16890 before you restore the data.
16892 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
16893 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
16894 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
16895 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
16896 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
16897 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
16898 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
16899 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
16900 is unnecessary in that case.
16903 @subsection Web Searches
16908 @cindex Usenet searches
16909 @cindex searching the Usenet
16911 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
16912 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
16913 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
16914 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
16915 searches without having to use a browser.
16917 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
16918 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
16919 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
16920 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
16921 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
16923 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
16924 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
16925 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
16926 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
16927 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
16928 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
16929 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
16930 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
16931 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
16932 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
16935 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
16936 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
16937 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
16938 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
16939 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
16940 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
16942 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
16943 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
16944 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
16946 Virtual server variables:
16951 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
16952 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
16953 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
16956 @vindex nnweb-search
16957 The search string to feed to the search engine.
16959 @item nnweb-max-hits
16960 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
16961 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
16964 @item nnweb-type-definition
16965 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
16966 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
16967 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
16972 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
16976 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
16979 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
16982 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
16986 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
16997 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16998 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16999 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
17000 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
17001 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
17003 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
17004 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
17006 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
17007 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
17008 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
17011 @kindex G R (Group)
17012 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
17013 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
17014 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
17015 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
17017 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
17018 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
17019 subscribe to groups.
17021 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
17022 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
17023 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
17024 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
17025 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
17028 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
17029 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
17030 and a @samp{text/html} part.
17033 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
17034 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
17037 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
17038 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
17042 @defun nnrss-opml-export
17043 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
17044 @acronym{OPML} format.
17047 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17050 @item nnrss-directory
17051 @vindex nnrss-directory
17052 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17053 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17055 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17056 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17057 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17058 data files. The default is the value of
17059 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17060 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17062 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17063 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17064 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17065 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17066 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17067 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17068 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17069 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17071 @item nnrss-use-local
17072 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17073 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17074 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17075 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17076 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17077 download script using @command{wget}.
17080 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17081 the summary buffer.
17084 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17085 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17087 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17089 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17090 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17093 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17097 (require 'browse-url)
17099 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17101 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17104 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17105 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17108 (browse-url (cdr url))
17109 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17110 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17112 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17113 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17114 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17115 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17118 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17119 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17120 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17121 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17122 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17123 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17124 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17125 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17126 @code{nnrss} groups:
17129 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17130 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17132 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17133 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17134 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17136 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17139 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17143 @node Customizing W3
17144 @subsection Customizing W3
17150 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17151 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17152 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17155 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17156 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17157 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17160 (eval-after-load "w3"
17162 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17163 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17164 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17165 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17167 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17170 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17171 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17175 @node Other Sources
17176 @section Other Sources
17178 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17179 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17183 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17184 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17185 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17186 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17187 * The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
17191 @node Directory Groups
17192 @subsection Directory Groups
17194 @cindex directory groups
17196 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17197 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17200 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17201 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17202 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17203 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17205 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17206 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17207 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17208 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17209 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17211 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17213 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17214 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17215 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17216 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17219 @node Anything Groups
17220 @subsection Anything Groups
17223 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17224 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17225 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17228 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17229 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17230 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17231 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17232 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17233 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17234 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17235 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17236 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17237 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17240 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17241 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17242 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17243 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17245 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17246 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17247 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17248 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17250 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17251 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17252 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17253 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17254 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17255 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17256 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17257 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17262 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17263 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17264 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17265 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17267 @item nneething-exclude-files
17268 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17269 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17270 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17272 @item nneething-include-files
17273 @vindex nneething-include-files
17274 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17275 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17277 @item nneething-map-file
17278 @vindex nneething-map-file
17279 Name of the map files.
17283 @node Document Groups
17284 @subsection Document Groups
17286 @cindex documentation group
17289 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17290 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17300 The standard Unix mbox file.
17302 @cindex MMDF mail box
17304 The MMDF mail box format.
17307 Several news articles appended into a file.
17309 @cindex rnews batch files
17311 The rnews batch transport format.
17314 Netscape mail boxes.
17317 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17319 @item standard-digest
17320 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17323 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17325 @item lanl-gov-announce
17326 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17328 @cindex git commit messages
17330 @code{git} commit messages.
17332 @cindex forwarded messages
17333 @item rfc822-forward
17334 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17337 The Outlook mail box.
17340 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17343 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17346 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17349 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17355 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17358 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17364 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17365 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17366 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17369 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17370 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17371 group. And that's it.
17373 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17374 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17375 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17376 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17377 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17378 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17379 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17380 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17381 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17382 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17384 Virtual server variables:
17387 @item nndoc-article-type
17388 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17389 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17390 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17391 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17392 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17393 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17395 @item nndoc-post-type
17396 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17397 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17398 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17403 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17407 @node Document Server Internals
17408 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17410 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17411 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17412 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17413 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17415 First, here's an example document type definition:
17419 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17420 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17423 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17424 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17425 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17426 types can be defined with very few settings:
17429 @item first-article
17430 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17431 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17434 @item article-begin
17435 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17436 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17437 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17438 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17440 @item article-begin-function
17441 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17442 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17445 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17446 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17447 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17449 @item head-begin-function
17450 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17451 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17454 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17455 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17458 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17459 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17460 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17462 @item body-begin-function
17463 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17464 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17467 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17468 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17469 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17471 @item body-end-function
17472 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17473 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17476 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17477 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17480 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17481 regexp will be totally ignored.
17485 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17486 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17487 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17488 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17489 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17492 @item prepare-body-function
17493 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17494 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17495 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17497 @item article-transform-function
17498 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17499 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17500 body of the article.
17502 @item generate-head-function
17503 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17504 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17505 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17506 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17508 @item generate-article-function
17509 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17510 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17511 parameter when requesting all articles.
17513 @item dissection-function
17514 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17515 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17516 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17517 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17518 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17519 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17523 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17528 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17529 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17530 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17531 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17532 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17533 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17534 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17535 (subtype digest guess))
17538 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17539 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17540 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17541 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17542 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17544 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17545 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17546 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17547 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17548 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17549 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17550 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17551 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17552 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17553 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17554 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17555 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17558 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17559 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17560 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17563 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17564 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17565 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17567 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17573 @item nngateway-address
17574 @vindex nngateway-address
17575 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17577 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17578 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17579 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17580 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17581 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17582 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17583 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17586 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17587 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17588 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17591 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17594 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17597 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17600 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17602 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17605 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17606 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17607 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17609 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17611 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17612 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17613 @code{nngateway-address}.
17621 (setq gnus-post-method
17623 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17624 (nngateway-header-transformation
17625 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17628 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17631 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17635 @node The Empty Backend
17636 @subsection The Empty Backend
17639 @code{nnnil} is a backend that can be used as a placeholder if you
17640 have to specify a backend somewhere, but don't really want to. The
17641 classical example is if you don't want to have a primary select
17642 methods, but want to only use secondary ones:
17645 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
17646 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
17652 @node Combined Groups
17653 @section Combined Groups
17655 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17659 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17663 @node Virtual Groups
17664 @subsection Virtual Groups
17666 @cindex virtual groups
17667 @cindex merging groups
17669 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17672 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17673 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17674 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17676 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17677 regexp to match component groups.
17679 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17680 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17681 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17682 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17683 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17684 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17685 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17686 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17688 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17689 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17692 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17695 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17696 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17698 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17699 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17700 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17701 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17704 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17707 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17708 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17709 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17711 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17712 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17713 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17714 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17715 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17717 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17718 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17719 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17721 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17722 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
17723 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
17724 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
17725 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
17726 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
17727 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
17728 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
17729 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
17730 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
17731 it---it'll have much the same effect.
17733 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17734 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17735 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17736 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17737 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17738 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17739 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17741 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17742 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17744 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17745 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17749 @node Email Based Diary
17750 @section Email Based Diary
17752 @cindex email based diary
17755 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17756 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17757 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17758 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17759 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17760 namely, as event reminders.
17762 Here is a typical scenario:
17766 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17767 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17769 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17771 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17773 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17774 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17775 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17777 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17778 of the night you're gonna have.
17780 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17781 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17784 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17785 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17786 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17787 explained in the sections below.
17790 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17791 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17792 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17796 @node The NNDiary Back End
17797 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17799 @cindex the nndiary back end
17801 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17802 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17803 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17804 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17805 directory per group.
17807 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17808 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17809 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17810 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17813 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17814 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17815 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17818 @node Diary Messages
17819 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17820 @cindex nndiary messages
17821 @cindex nndiary mails
17823 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17824 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17825 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17826 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17827 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17828 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17829 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17833 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17834 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17835 (separated by a comma).
17837 A field is either an integer, or a range.
17839 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
17841 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
17842 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
17843 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
17845 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
17846 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
17847 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
17849 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
17850 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
17851 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
17852 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
17853 list of available time zone values, see the variable
17854 @code{nndiary-headers}.
17857 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
17858 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
17859 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
17864 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
17867 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
17869 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
17872 @node Running NNDiary
17873 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
17874 @cindex running nndiary
17875 @cindex nndiary operation modes
17877 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
17878 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
17879 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
17880 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
17881 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
17882 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
17884 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
17885 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
17886 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
17887 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
17888 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
17889 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
17890 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
17893 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
17898 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
17899 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
17902 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
17905 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
17906 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
17907 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
17908 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
17909 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
17911 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
17912 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
17921 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
17922 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
17924 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
17925 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17926 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
17927 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
17930 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
17931 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17932 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
17935 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
17936 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
17937 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
17939 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
17940 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
17941 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
17942 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
17943 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
17945 @node Customizing NNDiary
17946 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
17947 @cindex customizing nndiary
17948 @cindex nndiary customization
17950 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
17951 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
17952 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
17953 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
17955 @defvar nndiary-reminders
17956 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
17957 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
17958 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
17959 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
17963 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
17964 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
17969 @node The Gnus Diary Library
17970 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
17972 @cindex the gnus diary library
17974 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
17975 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
17976 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
17977 useful things for you.
17979 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
17982 (require 'gnus-diary)
17985 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
17986 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
17987 (sorry if you used them before).
17991 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
17992 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
17993 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
17994 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
17997 @node Diary Summary Line Format
17998 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
17999 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18000 @cindex diary summary line format
18002 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18003 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18004 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18005 see the event's date.
18007 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18008 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18009 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18010 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18011 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18013 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18014 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18015 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18018 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18021 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18022 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18025 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18028 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18029 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18030 with the following user options:
18032 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18033 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18034 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18035 diary groups'parameters.
18038 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18039 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18040 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18043 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18044 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18045 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18046 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18047 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18050 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18051 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18052 @cindex diary articles sorting
18053 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18054 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18055 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18056 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18058 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18059 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18060 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18061 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18062 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18064 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18065 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18066 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18067 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18070 @node Diary Headers Generation
18071 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18072 @cindex diary headers generation
18073 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18075 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18076 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18077 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18078 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18081 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18082 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18083 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
18084 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
18085 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
18087 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18088 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18089 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18092 @node Diary Group Parameters
18093 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18094 @cindex diary group parameters
18096 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18097 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18098 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18099 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18100 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18101 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18102 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18103 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18105 @node Sending or Not Sending
18106 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18108 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
18109 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18113 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18114 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18115 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18116 sending the diary message to them as well.
18118 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18119 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18120 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18121 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18124 @node Gnus Unplugged
18125 @section Gnus Unplugged
18130 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18132 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18133 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18134 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18135 read news. Believe it or not.
18137 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18138 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18139 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18140 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18141 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18143 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18144 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18145 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18146 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18147 reading news on a machine.
18149 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18150 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18151 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18153 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18156 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18157 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18158 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18159 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18160 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18161 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18162 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18163 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18164 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18165 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18166 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18167 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18168 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18169 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18174 @subsection Agent Basics
18176 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18178 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18179 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18180 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18181 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18183 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18184 connected to the net continuously.
18186 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18187 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18189 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18190 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18191 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18192 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18193 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18195 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18196 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18197 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18198 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18199 they're kinda like plugged always).
18201 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18202 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18203 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18206 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18207 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18208 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18209 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18210 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18212 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18217 @findex gnus-unplugged
18218 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18219 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18220 already fetched while in this mode.
18223 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18224 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18225 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18226 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18227 Source Specifiers}).
18230 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18231 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18232 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18233 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18234 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18237 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18238 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18239 then you read the news offline.
18242 And then you go to step 2.
18245 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18251 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18252 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18253 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18254 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18255 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18256 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18257 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18258 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18261 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18262 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18263 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18264 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18266 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18267 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18268 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18269 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18270 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18271 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18275 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18279 @node Agent Categories
18280 @subsection Agent Categories
18282 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18283 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18284 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18285 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18286 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18287 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18288 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18290 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18291 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18292 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18293 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18294 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18296 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18297 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18298 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18299 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18300 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18303 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18304 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18305 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18306 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18307 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18308 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18312 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18313 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18314 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18318 @node Category Syntax
18319 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18321 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18322 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18323 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18326 @cindex Agent Parameters
18329 The list of groups that are in this category.
18331 @item agent-predicate
18332 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18333 are eligible for downloading; and
18336 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18337 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18338 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18340 @item agent-enable-expiration
18341 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18342 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18343 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18344 only groups that should not be expired.
18346 @item agent-days-until-old
18347 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18348 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18350 @item agent-low-score
18351 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18353 @item agent-high-score
18354 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18356 @item agent-short-article
18357 an integer that overrides the value of
18358 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18360 @item agent-long-article
18361 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18363 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18364 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18365 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18366 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18367 undownloaded faces.
18370 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18373 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18374 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18375 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18378 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18379 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18380 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18381 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18383 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18384 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18385 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18387 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18388 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18389 operators sprinkled in between.
18391 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18393 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18394 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18400 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18401 short (for some value of ``short'').
18403 Here's a more complex predicate:
18412 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18413 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18416 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18417 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18418 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18420 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18421 you want to do, you can write your own.
18423 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18424 bound to the value determined by calling
18425 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18426 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18427 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18428 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18429 predicate to individual groups.
18433 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18434 lines; default 100.
18437 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18438 lines; default 200.
18441 True if the article has a download score less than
18442 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18445 True if the article has a download score greater than
18446 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18449 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18450 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18451 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18460 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18461 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18462 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18465 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18466 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18467 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18468 something along the lines of the following:
18471 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18472 "Say whether an article is old."
18473 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18474 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18477 with the predicate then defined as:
18480 (not my-article-old-p)
18483 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18484 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18488 (require 'gnus-agent)
18489 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18490 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18491 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18494 and simply specify your predicate as:
18500 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18501 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18502 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18503 just don't give a damn.
18505 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18506 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18507 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18508 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18509 parameters like so:
18512 (agent-predicate . short)
18515 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18516 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18517 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18519 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18522 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18525 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18526 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18527 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18530 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18531 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18532 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18533 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18534 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18535 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18537 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18538 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18539 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18540 if it's to be specific to that group.
18542 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18549 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18550 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18556 Category specification
18560 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18566 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18569 (agent-score ("from"
18570 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18575 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18581 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18582 keywords stated above.
18588 Category specification
18591 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18597 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18601 Group Parameter specification
18604 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18607 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18612 Use @code{normal} score files
18614 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18615 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18616 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18617 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18619 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18620 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18621 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18622 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18626 Category Specification
18633 Group Parameter specification
18636 (agent-score . file)
18641 @node Category Buffer
18642 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18644 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18645 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18646 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18648 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18652 @kindex q (Category)
18653 @findex gnus-category-exit
18654 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18657 @kindex e (Category)
18658 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18659 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18660 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18663 @kindex k (Category)
18664 @findex gnus-category-kill
18665 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18668 @kindex c (Category)
18669 @findex gnus-category-copy
18670 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18673 @kindex a (Category)
18674 @findex gnus-category-add
18675 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18678 @kindex p (Category)
18679 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18680 Edit the predicate of the current category
18681 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18684 @kindex g (Category)
18685 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18686 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18687 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18690 @kindex s (Category)
18691 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18692 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18693 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18696 @kindex l (Category)
18697 @findex gnus-category-list
18698 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18702 @node Category Variables
18703 @subsubsection Category Variables
18706 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18707 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18708 Hook run in category buffers.
18710 @item gnus-category-line-format
18711 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18712 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18713 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18717 The name of the category.
18720 The number of groups in the category.
18723 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18724 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18725 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18727 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18728 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18729 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18731 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18732 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18733 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18735 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18736 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18737 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18740 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18741 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18742 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18745 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18746 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18747 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18748 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18749 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18750 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18751 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18752 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18756 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18757 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18758 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18759 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18760 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18761 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18762 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18767 @node Agent Commands
18768 @subsection Agent Commands
18769 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18770 @kindex J j (Agent)
18772 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18773 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18774 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18778 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18779 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18780 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18786 @node Group Agent Commands
18787 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18791 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18792 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18793 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18794 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18797 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18798 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18799 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18802 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18803 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18804 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18805 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18808 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18809 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18810 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18811 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18814 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18815 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18816 Add the current group to an Agent category
18817 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18818 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18821 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18822 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18823 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18824 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18825 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18828 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18829 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18830 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18836 @node Summary Agent Commands
18837 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18841 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18842 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18843 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18846 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18847 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18848 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18849 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18853 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18854 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18855 Toggle whether to download the article
18856 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18860 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18861 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18862 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18865 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18866 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18867 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18868 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18871 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18872 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
18873 Download all processable articles in this group.
18874 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
18877 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18878 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18879 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18880 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18885 @node Server Agent Commands
18886 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18890 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18891 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18892 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18893 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18896 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18897 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18898 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18899 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18904 @node Agent Visuals
18905 @subsection Agent Visuals
18907 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18908 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18909 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18910 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18911 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18912 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18913 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18914 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18915 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18916 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18918 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18919 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18920 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18921 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18922 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18923 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18924 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18925 articles will be available when unplugged.
18927 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18928 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18929 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18930 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18931 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18932 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18933 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18934 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18936 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18937 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18938 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18939 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18940 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18941 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18942 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18943 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18944 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18946 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18947 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18948 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18949 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18950 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18951 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18952 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18953 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18954 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18955 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18957 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18958 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18959 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
18960 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
18961 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
18962 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18964 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18965 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18966 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18967 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18968 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18969 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18970 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18971 expiring'' articles.
18973 @node Agent as Cache
18974 @subsection Agent as Cache
18976 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18977 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18978 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18979 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18980 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18981 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18982 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18983 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18984 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18986 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18987 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18988 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18989 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18990 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18993 @subsection Agent Expiry
18995 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18996 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18997 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18998 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18999 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19000 @cindex agent expiry
19001 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19002 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
19004 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19005 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19006 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19007 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19008 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19009 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19010 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19011 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19013 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19014 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19015 synchronized with the group.
19017 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19018 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19020 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19021 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19022 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19023 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19024 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19025 be kept indefinitely.
19027 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19028 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19029 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19030 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19032 @node Agent Regeneration
19033 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19035 @cindex agent regeneration
19036 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19037 @cindex regeneration
19039 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19040 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19041 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19042 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19043 internal inconsistencies.
19045 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19046 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19047 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19048 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19049 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19050 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19052 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19053 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19054 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19055 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19056 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19057 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19059 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19060 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19061 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19062 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19063 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19064 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19067 @node Agent and flags
19068 @subsection Agent and flags
19070 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19071 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19072 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19073 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19074 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19075 to the flags in its own files.
19077 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19078 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19079 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19081 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19082 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19083 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19084 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19085 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19086 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19088 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19089 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19090 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19091 in the group buffer.
19093 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19094 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19095 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19096 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19097 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19098 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19099 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19100 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19102 @node Agent and IMAP
19103 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19105 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19106 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19107 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19108 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19110 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19111 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19116 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19119 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19123 @node Outgoing Messages
19124 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19126 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19127 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19128 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19130 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19131 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19132 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19134 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19135 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19136 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19137 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19140 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19141 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19142 ask you to confirm your action (see
19143 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19145 @node Agent Variables
19146 @subsection Agent Variables
19151 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19152 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19153 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19154 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19156 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19157 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19160 @item gnus-agent-directory
19161 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19162 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19163 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19165 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19166 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19167 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19168 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19169 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19172 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19173 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19174 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19176 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19177 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19178 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19180 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19181 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19182 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19184 @item gnus-agent-cache
19185 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19186 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19187 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19188 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19190 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19191 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19192 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19193 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19194 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19195 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19196 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19199 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19200 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19201 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19202 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19203 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19204 read. The default is @code{t}.
19206 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19207 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19208 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19209 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19210 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19211 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19212 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19214 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19215 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19216 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19217 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19218 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19219 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19220 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19221 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19222 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19223 over and over again.
19225 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19226 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19227 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19228 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19229 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19230 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19231 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19232 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19233 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19234 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19235 However, all articles parsed prior to losing the connection will be
19236 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19239 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19240 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19241 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19242 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19243 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19244 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19245 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19246 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19247 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19249 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19250 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19251 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19252 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19253 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19254 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19256 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19257 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19258 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19259 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19260 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19262 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19263 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19264 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19265 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19266 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19267 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19269 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19270 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19271 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19272 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19273 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19275 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19276 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19277 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19278 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19279 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19280 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19281 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19282 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19283 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19284 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19285 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19290 @node Example Setup
19291 @subsection Example Setup
19293 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19294 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19295 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19298 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19299 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19300 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19302 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19303 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19304 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19306 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19307 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19309 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19310 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19311 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19314 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19315 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19318 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19319 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19320 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19321 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19322 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19325 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19326 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19327 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19328 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19329 back all the killed groups.)
19331 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19332 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19333 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19336 @node Batching Agents
19337 @subsection Batching Agents
19338 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19340 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19341 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19342 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19344 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19345 following incantation:
19349 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19353 @node Agent Caveats
19354 @subsection Agent Caveats
19356 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19357 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19361 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19363 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19364 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19365 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19367 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19368 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19370 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19374 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19375 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19376 locally stored articles.
19383 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19384 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19385 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19388 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19389 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19390 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19391 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19392 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19394 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19395 before generating the summary buffer.
19397 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19398 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19399 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19401 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19402 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19403 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19404 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19407 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19408 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19409 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19410 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19411 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19412 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19413 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19414 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19415 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19416 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19417 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19418 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19419 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19420 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19421 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19422 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19426 @node Summary Score Commands
19427 @section Summary Score Commands
19428 @cindex score commands
19430 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19431 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19432 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19433 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19434 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19436 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19437 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19438 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19439 score file the current one.
19441 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19446 @kindex V s (Summary)
19447 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19448 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19451 @kindex V S (Summary)
19452 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19453 Display the score of the current article
19454 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19457 @kindex V t (Summary)
19458 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19459 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19460 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19461 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19462 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19463 score file and edit it.
19466 @kindex V w (Summary)
19467 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19468 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19471 @kindex V R (Summary)
19472 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19473 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19474 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19475 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19476 effect you're having.
19479 @kindex V c (Summary)
19480 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19481 Make a different score file the current
19482 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19485 @kindex V e (Summary)
19486 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19487 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19488 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19492 @kindex V f (Summary)
19493 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19494 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19495 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19498 @kindex V F (Summary)
19499 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19500 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19501 after editing score files.
19504 @kindex V C (Summary)
19505 @findex gnus-score-customize
19506 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19507 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19511 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19516 @kindex V m (Summary)
19517 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19518 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19519 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19522 @kindex V x (Summary)
19523 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19524 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19525 expunge all articles below this score
19526 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19529 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19530 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19533 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19534 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19538 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19539 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19541 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19542 keys are available:
19546 Score on the author name.
19549 Score on the subject line.
19552 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19555 Score on the @code{References} line.
19561 Score on the number of lines.
19564 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19567 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19568 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19571 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19572 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19573 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19582 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19588 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19589 what headers you are scoring on.
19601 Substring matching.
19604 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19633 Greater than number.
19638 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19639 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19640 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19645 Temporary score entry.
19648 Permanent score entry.
19651 Immediately scoring.
19655 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19656 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19657 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19661 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19662 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19663 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19664 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19666 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19667 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19668 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19669 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19670 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19672 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19673 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19674 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19675 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19676 current score file.
19678 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19679 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19680 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19683 @node Group Score Commands
19684 @section Group Score Commands
19685 @cindex group score commands
19687 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19692 @kindex W e (Group)
19693 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19694 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19695 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19698 @kindex W f (Group)
19699 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19700 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19701 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19702 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19706 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19708 @findex gnus-batch-score
19709 @cindex batch scoring
19711 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19715 @node Score Variables
19716 @section Score Variables
19717 @cindex score variables
19721 @item gnus-use-scoring
19722 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19723 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19724 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19726 @item gnus-kill-killed
19727 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19728 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19729 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19730 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19731 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19732 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19733 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19735 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19736 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19737 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19738 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19739 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19741 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19742 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19743 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19744 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19746 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19747 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19748 @cindex score cache
19749 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19750 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
19751 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19752 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19753 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19754 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19755 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19758 @item gnus-save-score
19759 @vindex gnus-save-score
19760 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19761 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19762 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19764 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19765 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19766 across group visits.
19768 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19769 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19770 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19771 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19772 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19773 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19774 manually entered data.
19776 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19777 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19778 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19780 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19781 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19782 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19783 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19784 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19785 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19787 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19788 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19789 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19790 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19792 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19793 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19794 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19795 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19797 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19798 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19799 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19800 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19802 Predefined functions available are:
19805 @item gnus-score-find-single
19806 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19807 Only apply the group's own score file.
19809 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19810 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19811 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19812 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19813 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19814 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19815 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19816 then a regexp match is done.
19818 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19819 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19821 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19822 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19823 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19824 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19826 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19827 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19828 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19829 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19830 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19834 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19835 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19836 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19837 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19838 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19839 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19840 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19843 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19844 overall score file, you could use the value
19846 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19847 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19850 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19851 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19852 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19853 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19854 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19856 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19857 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19858 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19859 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19860 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19861 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19862 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19863 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19865 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19866 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19867 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19869 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19870 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19871 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19872 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19873 threading---according to the current value of
19874 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19875 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19876 simplified in this manner.
19881 @node Score File Format
19882 @section Score File Format
19883 @cindex score file format
19885 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19886 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19887 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19889 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19893 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19895 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19897 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19899 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19904 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19908 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19909 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19910 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19911 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19915 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19916 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19918 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19919 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19920 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19922 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19927 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19928 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19929 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19930 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19931 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19932 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19933 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19934 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19935 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19936 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19937 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19938 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19939 to articles that matches these score entries.
19941 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19942 score entry has one to four elements.
19946 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19947 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19951 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19952 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19953 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19954 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19955 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19956 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19959 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19960 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19961 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19962 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19963 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19966 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19967 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19968 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19969 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19972 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19973 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19974 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19975 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19976 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19977 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19978 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19979 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19980 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19981 instead, if you feel like.
19984 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19985 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19986 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19987 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19988 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19989 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19993 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19994 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19998 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19999 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20001 These predicates are true if
20004 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20007 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20008 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20015 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20016 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20017 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20018 it's not. I think.)
20020 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20021 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20022 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20023 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20026 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20027 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20028 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20029 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20030 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20031 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20032 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20036 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20037 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20038 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20039 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20040 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20041 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20042 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20043 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20046 @item Head, Body, All
20047 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20051 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20052 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20053 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20054 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20055 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20056 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20057 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20061 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20062 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20063 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20064 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20065 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20066 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20067 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20068 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20069 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20070 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20071 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20075 @cindex score file atoms
20077 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20078 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20081 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20082 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20084 @item mark-and-expunge
20085 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20086 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20089 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20090 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20091 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20092 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20093 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20096 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20097 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20100 @item exclude-files
20101 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20102 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20106 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
20107 ignored when handling global score files.
20110 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20111 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20112 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20113 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20116 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20117 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20118 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20119 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20121 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20125 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20128 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20129 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20130 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
20131 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20132 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20134 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20135 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20136 scoring rules exist.
20139 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20140 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20141 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20142 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20143 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20144 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20145 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20146 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20147 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20148 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20149 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20153 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20154 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20155 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20156 file for a number of groups.
20159 @cindex local variables
20160 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20161 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20162 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20163 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20164 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20169 @node Score File Editing
20170 @section Score File Editing
20172 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20173 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20174 with a mode for that.
20176 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20177 additional commands:
20182 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20183 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
20184 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20185 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
20188 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20189 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20190 Insert the current date in numerical format
20191 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20192 you were wondering.
20195 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20196 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20197 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20198 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20199 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20204 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20206 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20207 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20209 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20210 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20213 @node Adaptive Scoring
20214 @section Adaptive Scoring
20215 @cindex adaptive scoring
20217 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20218 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20219 stupidity, to be precise.
20221 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20222 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20223 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20224 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20225 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20226 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20227 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20228 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20229 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20231 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20232 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20233 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20234 might look something like this:
20237 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20238 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20239 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20240 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20241 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20242 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20243 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20244 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20245 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20246 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20247 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20248 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20251 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20252 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20253 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20254 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20255 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20256 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20259 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20260 will be applied to each article.
20262 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20263 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20264 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20265 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20267 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20268 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20269 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20270 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20272 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20273 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20274 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20275 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20277 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20278 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20279 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20280 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20281 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20282 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20284 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20285 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20286 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20288 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20289 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20290 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20292 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20293 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20294 let you use different rules in different groups.
20296 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20297 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20298 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20301 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20302 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20303 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20304 default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20306 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20307 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20308 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20309 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20310 the length of the match is less than
20311 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20312 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20315 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20316 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20317 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20318 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20319 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20322 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20323 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20324 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20325 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20326 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20329 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20330 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20331 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20332 score with 30 points.
20334 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20335 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20336 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20337 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20338 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20340 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20341 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20342 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20343 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20344 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20346 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20347 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20348 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20349 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20351 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20352 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20353 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20354 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20356 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20357 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20358 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20359 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20360 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20362 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20363 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20364 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20366 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20367 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20368 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20369 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20372 @node Home Score File
20373 @section Home Score File
20375 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20376 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20377 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20378 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20380 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20381 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20382 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20384 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20385 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20390 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20394 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20395 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20399 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20403 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20404 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20407 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20408 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
20409 name of the group as the parameter.
20412 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20415 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20420 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20423 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20424 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20427 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20428 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20430 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20432 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20433 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20436 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20437 Other functions include
20440 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20441 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20442 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20443 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20447 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20448 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20449 their own home score files:
20452 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20453 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20454 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20455 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20456 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20459 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20460 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20461 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20462 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20463 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20465 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20466 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20467 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20468 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20469 precedence over this variable.
20472 @node Followups To Yourself
20473 @section Followups To Yourself
20475 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20476 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20477 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20478 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20479 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20480 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20484 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20485 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20486 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20489 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20490 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20491 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20495 @vindex message-sent-hook
20496 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20497 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20499 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20503 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20504 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20508 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20509 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20512 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20513 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20518 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20522 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20523 is system-dependent.
20526 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20527 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20528 @cindex scoring on other headers
20530 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20531 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20532 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20533 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20534 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20536 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
20537 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
20538 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
20539 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
20540 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
20541 inhibited for all groups.
20543 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
20544 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20545 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20546 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20547 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20549 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20552 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20553 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20556 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20557 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20558 time if you have much mail.
20560 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20561 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20567 @section Scoring Tips
20568 @cindex scoring tips
20574 @cindex scoring crossposts
20575 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20576 the @code{Xref} header.
20578 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20581 @item Multiple crossposts
20582 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20583 more than, say, 3 groups:
20586 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20590 @item Matching on the body
20591 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20592 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20593 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20594 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20595 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20596 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20597 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20600 @item Marking as read
20601 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20602 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20603 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20607 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20609 @item Negated character classes
20610 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20611 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20612 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20616 @node Reverse Scoring
20617 @section Reverse Scoring
20618 @cindex reverse scoring
20620 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20621 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20622 like this in your score file:
20626 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20631 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20632 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20635 @node Global Score Files
20636 @section Global Score Files
20637 @cindex global score files
20639 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20640 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20641 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20643 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20644 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20645 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20647 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20648 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20649 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20650 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20651 files are applicable to which group.
20653 To use the score file
20654 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20655 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20659 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20660 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20661 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20664 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20666 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20667 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20668 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20669 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20671 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20672 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20674 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20675 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20676 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20677 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20678 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20679 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20681 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20687 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20689 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20691 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20693 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20694 lowered out of existence.
20696 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20697 articles completely.
20700 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20701 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20702 old articles for a long time.
20705 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20706 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20707 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20708 holding our breath yet?
20712 @section Kill Files
20715 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20716 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20717 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20719 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20720 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20721 files into score files.
20723 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20724 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20725 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20726 that isn't a very good idea.
20728 Normal kill files look like this:
20731 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20732 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20736 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20737 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20739 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20740 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20743 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20748 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20749 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20750 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20753 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20754 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20755 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20758 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20763 @kindex M-k (Group)
20764 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20765 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20768 @kindex M-K (Group)
20769 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20770 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20773 Kill file variables:
20776 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20777 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20778 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20779 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20780 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20781 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20782 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20784 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20785 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20786 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20787 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20790 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20791 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20792 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20793 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20794 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20795 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20796 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20797 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20798 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20800 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20801 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20802 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20807 @node Converting Kill Files
20808 @section Converting Kill Files
20810 @cindex converting kill files
20812 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20813 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20814 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20817 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
20818 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
20820 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20822 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20823 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20824 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20828 @node Advanced Scoring
20829 @section Advanced Scoring
20831 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20832 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20833 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20834 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20835 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20837 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20841 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20842 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20843 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20847 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20848 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20850 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20851 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20852 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20853 non-@code{nil} value.
20855 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20856 operator, and various match operators.
20863 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20864 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20865 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20870 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20871 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20872 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20877 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20878 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20882 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20883 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20884 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20885 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20886 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20887 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20888 the ancestry you want to go.
20890 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20891 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20892 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20893 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20894 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20897 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20898 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20900 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20901 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20904 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20905 when he's talking about Gnus:
20910 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20911 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20918 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20922 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20929 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20930 really don't want to read what he's written:
20934 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20935 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
20939 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20940 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20941 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20948 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20949 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20950 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20951 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20955 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
20956 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
20957 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
20958 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
20961 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20963 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20967 The possibilities are endless.
20969 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20970 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20972 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20973 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20974 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20975 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20976 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20977 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20978 @samp{subject}) first.
20980 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20981 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20992 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20993 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20999 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21006 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21007 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21012 @section Score Decays
21013 @cindex score decays
21016 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21017 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21018 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21019 use them in any sensible way.
21021 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21022 @findex gnus-decay-score
21023 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21024 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21025 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21026 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21027 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21028 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21029 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21030 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21031 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21032 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21036 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21037 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21038 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21040 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21042 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21044 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21045 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21046 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21047 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21048 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21050 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21054 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21055 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21056 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21057 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21061 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21064 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21067 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21071 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21072 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21073 the new score, which should be an integer.
21075 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21076 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21082 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
21083 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
21086 This chapter describes tools for searching groups and servers for
21087 articles matching a query and then retrieving those articles. Gnus
21088 provides a simpler mechanism for searching through articles in a summary buffer
21089 to find those matching a pattern. @xref{Searching for Articles}.
21092 * nnir:: Searching with various engines.
21093 * nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
21100 This section describes how to use @code{nnir} to search for articles
21104 * What is nnir?:: What does @code{nnir} do?
21105 * Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
21106 * Setting up nnir:: How to set up @code{nnir}.
21109 @node What is nnir?
21110 @subsection What is nnir?
21112 @code{nnir} is a Gnus interface to a number of tools for searching
21113 through mail and news repositories. Different backends (like
21114 @code{nnimap} and @code{nntp}) work with different tools (called
21115 @dfn{engines} in @code{nnir} lingo), but all use the same basic search
21118 The @code{nnimap} and @code{gmane} search engines should work with no
21119 configuration. Other engines require a local index that needs to be
21120 created and maintained outside of Gnus.
21124 @subsection Basic Usage
21126 In the group buffer typing @kbd{G G} will search the group on the
21127 current line by calling @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. This prompts
21128 for a query string, creates an ephemeral @code{nnir} group containing
21129 the articles that match this query, and takes you to a summary buffer
21130 showing these articles. Articles may then be read, moved and deleted
21131 using the usual commands.
21133 The @code{nnir} group made in this way is an @code{ephemeral} group, and
21134 some changes are not permanent: aside from reading, moving, and
21135 deleting, you can't act on the original article. But there is an
21136 alternative: you can @emph{warp} to the original group for the article
21137 on the current line with @kbd{A W}, aka
21138 @code{gnus-warp-to-article}. Even better, the function
21139 @code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}, bound by default in summary buffers to
21140 @kbd{A T}, will first warp to the original group before it works its
21141 magic and includes all the articles in the thread. From here you can
21142 read, move and delete articles, but also copy them, alter article marks,
21145 You say you want to search more than just the group on the current line?
21146 No problem: just process-mark the groups you want to search. You want
21147 even more? Calling for an nnir search with the cursor on a topic heading
21148 will search all the groups under that heading.
21150 Still not enough? OK, in the server buffer
21151 @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group} (now bound to @kbd{G}) will search all
21152 groups from the server on the current line. Too much? Want to ignore
21153 certain groups when searching, like spam groups? Just customize
21154 @code{nnir-ignored-newsgroups}.
21156 One more thing: individual search engines may have special search
21157 features. You can access these special features by giving a prefix-arg
21158 to @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. If you are searching multiple
21159 groups with different search engines you will be prompted for the
21160 special search features for each engine separately.
21163 @node Setting up nnir
21164 @subsection Setting up nnir
21166 To set up nnir you may need to do some prep work. Firstly, you may need
21167 to configure the search engines you plan to use. Some of them, like
21168 @code{imap} and @code{gmane}, need no special configuration. Others,
21169 like @code{namazu} and @code{swish}, require configuration as described
21170 below. Secondly, you need to associate a search engine with a server or
21173 If you just want to use the @code{imap} engine to search @code{nnimap}
21174 servers, and the @code{gmane} engine to search @code{gmane} then you
21175 don't have to do anything. But you might want to read the details of the
21176 query language anyway.
21179 * Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
21180 * The imap Engine:: Imap configuration and usage.
21181 * The gmane Engine:: Gmane configuration and usage.
21182 * The swish++ Engine:: Swish++ configuration and usage.
21183 * The swish-e Engine:: Swish-e configuration and usage.
21184 * The namazu Engine:: Namazu configuration and usage.
21185 * The hyrex Engine:: Hyrex configuration and usage.
21186 * Customizations:: User customizable settings.
21189 @node Associating Engines
21190 @subsubsection Associating Engines
21193 When searching a group, @code{nnir} needs to know which search engine to
21194 use. You can configure a given server to use a particular engine by
21195 setting the server variable @code{nnir-search-engine} to the engine
21196 name. For example to use the @code{namazu} engine to search the server
21197 named @code{home} you can use
21200 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
21202 (nnimap-address "localhost")
21203 (nnir-search-engine namazu))))
21206 Alternatively you might want to use a particular engine for all servers
21207 with a given backend. For example, you might want to use the @code{imap}
21208 engine for all servers using the @code{nnimap} backend. In this case you
21209 can customize the variable @code{nnir-method-default-engines}. This is
21210 an alist of pairs of the form @code{(backend . engine)}. By default this
21211 variable is set to use the @code{imap} engine for all servers using the
21212 @code{nnimap} backend, and the @code{gmane} backend for @code{nntp}
21213 servers. (Don't worry, the @code{gmane} search engine won't actually try
21214 to search non-gmane @code{nntp} servers.) But if you wanted to use
21215 @code{namazu} for all your servers with an @code{nnimap} backend you
21216 could change this to
21219 '((nnimap . namazu)
21223 @node The imap Engine
21224 @subsubsection The imap Engine
21226 The @code{imap} engine requires no configuration.
21228 Queries using the @code{imap} engine follow a simple query language.
21229 The search is always case-insensitive and supports the following
21230 features (inspired by the Google search input language):
21234 @item Boolean query operators
21235 AND, OR, and NOT are supported, and parentheses can be used to control
21236 operator precedence, e.g. (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux. Note that
21237 operators must be written with all capital letters to be
21238 recognised. Also preceding a term with a - sign is equivalent to NOT
21241 @item Automatic AND queries
21242 If you specify multiple words then they will be treated as an AND
21243 expression intended to match all components.
21245 @item Phrase searches
21246 If you wrap your query in double-quotes then it will be treated as a
21251 By default the whole message will be searched. The query can be limited
21252 to a specific part of a message by using a prefix-arg. After inputting
21253 the query this will prompt (with completion) for a message part.
21254 Choices include ``Whole message'', ``Subject'', ``From'', and
21255 ``To''. Any unrecognized input is interpreted as a header name. For
21256 example, typing @kbd{Message-ID} in response to this prompt will limit
21257 the query to the Message-ID header.
21259 Finally selecting ``Imap'' will interpret the query as a raw
21260 @acronym{IMAP} search query. The format of such queries can be found in
21263 If you don't like the default of searching whole messages you can
21264 customize @code{nnir-imap-default-search-key}. For example to use
21265 @acronym{IMAP} queries by default
21268 (setq nnir-imap-default-search-key "Imap")
21271 @node The gmane Engine
21272 @subsubsection The gmane Engine
21274 The @code{gmane} engine requires no configuration.
21276 Gmane queries follow a simple query language:
21279 @item Boolean query operators
21280 AND, OR, NOT (or AND NOT), and XOR are supported, and brackets can be
21281 used to control operator precedence, e.g. (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux.
21282 Note that operators must be written with all capital letters to be
21285 @item Required and excluded terms
21286 + and - can be used to require or exclude terms, e.g. football -american
21288 @item Unicode handling
21289 The search engine converts all text to utf-8, so searching should work
21293 Common English words (like 'the' and 'a') are ignored by default. You
21294 can override this by prefixing such words with a + (e.g. +the) or
21295 enclosing the word in quotes (e.g. "the").
21299 The query can be limited to articles by a specific author using a
21300 prefix-arg. After inputting the query this will prompt for an author
21301 name (or part of a name) to match.
21303 @node The swish++ Engine
21304 @subsubsection The swish++ Engine
21306 FIXEM: Say something more here.
21308 Documentation for swish++ may be found at the swish++ sourceforge page:
21309 @uref{http://swishplusplus.sourceforge.net}
21313 @item nnir-swish++-program
21314 The name of the swish++ executable. Defaults to @code{search}
21316 @item nnir-swish++-additional-switches
21317 A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
21318 swish++. @code{nil} by default.
21320 @item nnir-swish++-remove-prefix
21321 The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish++ in order
21322 to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
21326 @node The swish-e Engine
21327 @subsubsection The swish-e Engine
21329 FIXEM: Say something more here.
21331 Documentation for swish-e may be found at the swish-e homepage
21332 @uref{http://swish-e.org}
21336 @item nnir-swish-e-program
21337 The name of the swish-e search program. Defaults to @code{swish-e}.
21339 @item nnir-swish-e-additional-switches
21340 A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
21341 swish-e. @code{nil} by default.
21343 @item nnir-swish-e-remove-prefix
21344 The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish-e in order
21345 to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
21349 @node The namazu Engine
21350 @subsubsection The namazu Engine
21352 Using the namazu engine requires creating and maintaining index files.
21353 One directory should contain all the index files, and nnir must be told
21354 where to find them by setting the @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory}
21357 To work correctly the @code{nnir-namazu-remove-prefix} variable must
21358 also be correct. This is the prefix to remove from each file name
21359 returned by Namazu in order to get a proper group name (albeit with `/'
21362 For example, suppose that Namazu returns file names such as
21363 @samp{/home/john/Mail/mail/misc/42}. For this example, use the
21364 following setting: @code{(setq nnir-namazu-remove-prefix
21365 "/home/john/Mail/")} Note the trailing slash. Removing this prefix from
21366 the directory gives @samp{mail/misc/42}. @code{nnir} knows to remove
21367 the @samp{/42} and to replace @samp{/} with @samp{.} to arrive at the
21368 correct group name @samp{mail.misc}.
21370 Extra switches may be passed to the namazu search command by setting the
21371 variable @code{nnir-namazu-additional-switches}. It is particularly
21372 important not to pass any any switches to namazu that will change the
21373 output format. Good switches to use include `--sort', `--ascending',
21374 `--early' and `--late'. Refer to the Namazu documentation for further
21375 information on valid switches.
21377 Mail must first be indexed with the `mknmz' program. Read the documentation
21378 for namazu to create a configuration file. Here is an example:
21382 package conf; # Don't remove this line!
21384 # Paths which will not be indexed. Don't use `^' or `$' anchors.
21385 $EXCLUDE_PATH = "spam|sent";
21387 # Header fields which should be searchable. case-insensitive
21388 $REMAIN_HEADER = "from|date|message-id|subject";
21390 # Searchable fields. case-insensitive
21391 $SEARCH_FIELD = "from|date|message-id|subject";
21393 # The max length of a word.
21394 $WORD_LENG_MAX = 128;
21396 # The max length of a field.
21397 $MAX_FIELD_LENGTH = 256;
21401 For this example, mail is stored in the directories @samp{~/Mail/mail/},
21402 @samp{~/Mail/lists/} and @samp{~/Mail/archive/}, so to index them go to
21403 the index directory set in @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory} and issue
21404 the following command:
21407 mknmz --mailnews ~/Mail/archive/ ~/Mail/mail/ ~/Mail/lists/
21410 For maximum searching efficiency you might want to have a cron job run
21411 this command periodically, say every four hours.
21413 @node The hyrex Engine
21414 @subsubsection The hyrex Engine
21415 This engine is obsolete.
21417 @node Customizations
21418 @subsubsection Custimozations
21422 @item nnir-method-default-engines
21423 Alist of server backend - search engine pairs. The default associations
21430 @item nnir-ignored-newsgroups
21431 A regexp to match newsgroups in the active file that should be skipped
21432 when searching all groups on a server.
21434 @item nnir-summary-line-format
21435 The format specification to be used for lines in an nnir summary buffer.
21436 All the items from `gnus-summary-line-format' are available, along with
21437 three items unique to nnir summary buffers:
21440 %Z Search retrieval score value (integer)
21441 %G Article original full group name (string)
21442 %g Article original short group name (string)
21445 If nil (the default) this will use @code{gnus-summary-line-format}.
21447 @item nnir-retrieve-headers-override-function
21448 If non-nil, a function that retrieves article headers rather than using
21449 the gnus built-in function. This function takes an article list and
21450 group as arguments and populates the `nntp-server-buffer' with the
21451 retrieved headers. It should then return either 'nov or 'headers
21452 indicating the retrieved header format. Failure to retrieve headers
21453 should return @code{nil}
21455 If this variable is nil, or if the provided function returns nil for a
21456 search result, @code{gnus-retrieve-headers} will be called instead."
21467 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
21468 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
21469 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
21470 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
21473 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
21474 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
21475 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
21476 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
21477 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
21478 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
21479 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
21480 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
21481 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
21484 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
21485 @c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
21486 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
21489 @subsection About mairix
21491 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
21492 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
21493 GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
21494 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
21496 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
21498 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
21499 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
21500 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
21501 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
21502 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
21503 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
21504 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
21505 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
21508 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
21509 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
21510 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
21511 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
21512 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
21513 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
21514 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
21515 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
21518 @node nnmairix requirements
21519 @subsection nnmairix requirements
21521 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
21522 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
21523 server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
21524 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
21526 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
21527 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
21528 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
21529 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
21531 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
21532 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
21533 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
21534 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
21535 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
21536 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
21538 @node What nnmairix does
21539 @subsection What nnmairix does
21541 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
21542 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
21543 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
21544 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
21545 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
21546 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
21547 mails are in different folders.
21549 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
21550 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
21551 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
21552 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
21553 new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
21554 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
21556 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
21557 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
21558 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
21559 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
21560 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
21561 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
21562 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
21563 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
21564 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
21565 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
21566 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
21568 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
21569 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
21570 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
21571 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
21572 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
21573 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
21574 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
21575 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
21576 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
21577 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
21578 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
21579 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
21580 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
21581 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
21582 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
21583 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
21585 @node Setting up mairix
21586 @subsection Setting up mairix
21588 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
21590 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
21591 (at least) the following entries:
21594 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
21598 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
21599 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
21600 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
21601 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
21604 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
21605 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
21606 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
21609 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
21610 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
21611 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
21612 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
21613 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
21619 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
21620 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
21621 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
21622 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
21625 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
21626 database= ... location of database file ...
21629 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
21630 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
21631 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
21633 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
21637 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
21638 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
21639 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
21642 database=~/.mairixdatabase
21645 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
21646 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
21647 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
21648 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
21649 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
21650 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
21651 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
21652 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
21653 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
21654 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
21655 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
21656 The other lines should be obvious.
21658 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
21659 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
21660 than you are used to.
21662 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
21663 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
21664 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
21666 @node Configuring nnmairix
21667 @subsection Configuring nnmairix
21669 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
21670 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
21671 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
21672 server. You will have to specify the following:
21677 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
21681 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
21682 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
21683 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
21684 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
21685 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
21686 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
21687 However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
21688 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
21689 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
21690 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
21691 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might lose mail
21692 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
21693 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
21694 @code{nnimap} server here.
21697 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
21698 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
21699 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
21700 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
21701 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
21702 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
21703 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
21706 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
21707 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
21708 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
21712 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
21713 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
21714 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
21715 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
21716 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
21720 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
21721 @subsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
21728 @kindex G b c (Group)
21729 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
21730 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
21731 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
21732 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
21735 @kindex G b s (Group)
21736 @findex nnmairix-search
21737 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
21738 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
21739 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
21742 @kindex G b m (Group)
21743 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
21744 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
21745 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
21746 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
21749 @kindex G b i (Group)
21750 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
21751 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
21752 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
21755 @kindex G b g (Group)
21756 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
21757 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
21758 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
21759 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
21763 @kindex G b q (Group)
21764 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
21765 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
21766 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
21769 @kindex G b t (Group)
21770 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
21771 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
21772 i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
21773 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
21776 @kindex G b u (Group)
21777 @findex nnmairix-update-database
21778 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
21779 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
21780 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
21781 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
21782 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
21786 @kindex G b r (Group)
21787 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
21788 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
21789 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
21792 @kindex G b d (Group)
21793 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
21794 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
21795 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
21796 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
21799 @kindex G b a (Group)
21800 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
21801 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
21802 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
21803 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
21804 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
21805 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
21806 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
21807 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
21808 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
21811 @kindex G b p (Group)
21812 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
21813 Toggle marks propagation for this group
21814 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
21818 @kindex G b o (Group)
21819 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
21820 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
21821 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
21830 @kindex $ m (Summary)
21831 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
21832 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
21833 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
21834 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
21837 @kindex $ g (Summary)
21838 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
21839 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
21840 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
21841 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
21844 @kindex $ t (Summary)
21845 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
21846 Searches thread for the current article
21847 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
21848 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
21849 current article and enabled threads.
21852 @kindex $ f (Summary)
21853 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
21854 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
21855 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
21856 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
21859 @kindex $ o (Summary)
21860 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
21861 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
21862 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
21863 e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
21864 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
21865 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
21866 article file name as a fallback method.
21869 @kindex $ u (Summary)
21870 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
21871 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
21872 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
21877 @node Propagating marks
21878 @subsection Propagating marks
21880 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
21881 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
21882 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
21884 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
21886 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
21887 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
21888 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
21889 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
21892 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
21893 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
21894 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
21895 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
21896 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
21897 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
21898 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
21899 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
21900 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
21901 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
21903 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
21904 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
21905 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
21906 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
21907 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
21908 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
21909 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
21911 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
21912 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
21913 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
21914 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
21915 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
21916 even more cumbersome.
21918 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
21919 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
21920 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
21922 Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
21923 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
21924 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
21925 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
21926 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
21927 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
21928 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
21930 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
21931 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
21932 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
21933 magically be set for the original article, too.
21935 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
21937 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
21938 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
21939 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
21940 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
21941 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
21942 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
21945 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
21946 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
21947 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
21948 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
21949 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
21950 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
21951 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
21953 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
21954 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
21955 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
21956 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
21957 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
21958 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
21959 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
21961 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
21962 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
21963 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
21964 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
21965 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
21966 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
21967 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
21968 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
21969 maildir as its file format.
21971 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
21972 If you work with this setup, just set
21973 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
21974 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
21975 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
21976 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
21977 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
21978 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
21980 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
21981 @subsection nnmairix tips and tricks
21987 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
21988 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
21989 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
21992 I use the following to check for mails:
21995 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
21997 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
21998 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
21999 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
22000 (gnus-group-list-groups))
22002 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
22005 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
22006 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
22010 Example: search group for ticked articles
22012 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
22013 articles always stay unread:
22015 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
22016 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
22018 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
22019 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
22021 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
22022 group? There are two options: You may simply use
22023 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
22024 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
22025 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
22026 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
22027 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
22028 e.g. by marking an article as read.
22030 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
22031 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
22032 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
22033 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
22034 snippet and the doc string for details.
22037 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
22039 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
22040 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
22041 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
22042 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
22043 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
22044 @code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
22045 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
22046 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
22047 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
22048 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
22049 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
22050 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
22053 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
22054 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
22059 @node nnmairix caveats
22060 @subsection nnmairix caveats
22064 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
22065 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
22066 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
22067 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
22068 an example server definition:
22071 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
22074 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
22075 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
22076 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
22080 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
22081 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
22082 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}; this is the default). Be
22083 @emph{extra careful} if you use
22084 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are split
22085 into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as you
22086 check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
22089 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
22090 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
22093 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
22094 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
22097 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
22100 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
22101 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
22102 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
22103 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
22104 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
22105 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
22109 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
22110 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
22111 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
22112 it is gone for good.
22115 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
22116 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
22117 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
22118 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
22119 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
22120 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
22121 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
22122 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
22123 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
22126 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
22127 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
22129 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
22130 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
22131 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
22132 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
22133 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
22134 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
22135 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
22136 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
22137 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
22138 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
22139 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
22140 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
22147 @include message.texi
22148 @chapter Emacs MIME
22149 @include emacs-mime.texi
22151 @include sieve.texi
22163 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
22164 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
22165 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
22166 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
22167 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
22168 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
22169 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
22170 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
22171 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
22172 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
22173 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
22174 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
22175 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
22176 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
22177 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
22178 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
22179 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
22180 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
22181 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
22182 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
22183 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
22187 @node Process/Prefix
22188 @section Process/Prefix
22189 @cindex process/prefix convention
22191 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
22192 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
22194 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
22195 command to be performed on.
22199 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
22200 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
22201 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
22202 with the current one.
22204 @vindex transient-mark-mode
22205 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
22206 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
22208 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
22209 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
22212 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
22213 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
22215 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
22218 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
22219 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
22220 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
22221 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22223 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
22224 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
22225 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
22226 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
22227 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
22228 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
22229 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
22230 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
22232 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
22233 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
22234 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
22235 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
22236 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
22240 @section Interactive
22241 @cindex interaction
22245 @item gnus-novice-user
22246 @vindex gnus-novice-user
22247 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
22248 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
22249 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
22250 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
22253 @item gnus-expert-user
22254 @vindex gnus-expert-user
22255 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
22256 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
22257 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
22258 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
22259 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
22262 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
22263 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
22264 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
22265 is @code{t} by default.
22267 @item gnus-interactive-exit
22268 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
22269 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22274 @node Symbolic Prefixes
22275 @section Symbolic Prefixes
22276 @cindex symbolic prefixes
22278 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
22279 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
22280 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
22281 rule of 900 to the current article.
22283 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
22284 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
22285 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
22286 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
22287 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
22288 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
22289 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
22291 @kindex M-i (Summary)
22292 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
22293 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
22294 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
22295 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
22296 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
22297 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
22298 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
22299 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
22301 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
22302 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
22303 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
22305 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
22309 @node Formatting Variables
22310 @section Formatting Variables
22311 @cindex formatting variables
22313 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
22314 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
22315 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
22316 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
22317 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
22320 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
22321 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
22322 lots of percentages everywhere.
22325 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
22326 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
22327 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
22328 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
22329 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
22330 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
22331 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
22332 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
22335 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
22336 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
22337 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
22338 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
22339 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
22340 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
22341 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
22342 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
22344 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
22345 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
22347 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
22348 @findex gnus-update-format
22349 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
22350 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
22351 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
22352 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
22356 @node Formatting Basics
22357 @subsection Formatting Basics
22359 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
22360 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
22361 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
22363 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
22364 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
22365 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
22366 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
22367 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
22370 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
22371 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
22372 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
22373 less than 4 characters wide.
22375 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
22376 @samp{%&user-date;}.
22379 @node Mode Line Formatting
22380 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
22382 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
22383 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
22384 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
22385 with the following two differences:
22390 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
22393 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
22394 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
22395 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
22396 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
22397 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
22398 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
22399 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
22404 @node Advanced Formatting
22405 @subsection Advanced Formatting
22407 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
22408 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
22409 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
22410 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
22412 These are the valid modifiers:
22417 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
22421 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
22426 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
22429 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
22434 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22437 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22440 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22443 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22449 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22454 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22455 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22456 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22457 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22458 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22459 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22460 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22462 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22463 last operation, padding.
22465 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22466 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22467 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22468 @xref{Compilation}.
22471 @node User-Defined Specs
22472 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22474 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22475 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22476 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22477 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22478 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22479 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22480 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22481 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22482 should protect against that.
22484 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22485 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22487 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22488 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22489 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22490 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22494 @node Formatting Fonts
22495 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22498 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22499 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22500 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22501 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22502 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22506 @vindex gnus-face-0
22507 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22508 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22509 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22510 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22511 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22512 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22514 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22515 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22516 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22517 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22518 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22519 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22520 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22521 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22522 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22523 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22524 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22525 (in Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22526 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22527 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22530 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22533 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22534 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22535 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22537 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22538 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22539 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22540 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22541 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22542 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22543 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22545 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22546 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22547 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22550 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22551 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22553 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22554 mode-line variables.
22556 @node Positioning Point
22557 @subsection Positioning Point
22559 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22560 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22561 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22563 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22565 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22566 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22567 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22569 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22570 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22571 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22576 @subsection Tabulation
22578 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22579 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22580 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22581 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22583 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22584 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22586 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22587 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22588 This is the soft tabulator.
22590 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22591 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22592 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22595 @node Wide Characters
22596 @subsection Wide Characters
22598 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22599 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22600 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22602 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22603 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22604 these countries, that's not true.
22606 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22607 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22608 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22609 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22613 @node Window Layout
22614 @section Window Layout
22615 @cindex window layout
22617 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22619 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22620 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22621 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22622 @code{t} by default.
22624 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22625 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22627 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22628 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22629 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22632 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)))
22633 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22637 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22638 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22639 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22640 possible names is listed below.
22642 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22643 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22646 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22650 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22651 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22652 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22653 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22654 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22655 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22656 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22657 size spec per split.
22659 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22660 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22661 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22662 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22663 present) gets focus.
22665 Here's a more complicated example:
22668 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22669 (summary 0.25 point)
22673 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22674 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22675 occupy, not a percentage.
22677 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22678 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22679 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22680 be used as a split.
22682 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22685 (article (horizontal 1.0
22689 (summary 0.25 point)
22693 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22694 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22696 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22697 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22698 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22699 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22700 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22702 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22703 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22704 lines from the splits.
22706 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22711 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22712 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22713 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22714 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22715 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22716 size = number | frame-params
22717 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22721 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22722 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22723 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22724 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22726 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22727 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22728 @cindex window height
22729 @cindex window width
22730 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22731 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22732 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22733 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22734 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22735 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22737 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22738 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22739 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22740 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22742 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22743 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22744 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22745 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22746 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22747 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22748 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22749 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22750 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22751 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22752 configuration list.
22755 (gnus-configure-frame
22759 (article 0.3 point))
22767 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22768 @code{frame} split:
22771 (gnus-configure-frame
22774 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22776 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22777 (user-position . t)
22778 (left . -1) (top . 1))
22783 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
22784 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
22785 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
22786 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
22787 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
22788 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
22789 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
22790 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
22792 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
22793 be found in its default value.
22795 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
22796 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
22797 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
22801 (message (horizontal 1.0
22802 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
22804 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
22809 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
22810 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
22811 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
22816 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
22817 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
22818 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
22819 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
22820 (name . "Message"))
22821 (message 1.0 point))))
22824 @findex gnus-add-configuration
22825 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
22826 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
22827 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
22828 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
22831 (gnus-add-configuration
22832 '(article (vertical 1.0
22834 (summary .25 point)
22838 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
22839 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
22840 Gnus has been loaded.
22842 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
22843 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
22844 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
22845 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
22846 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
22848 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
22849 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
22850 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
22853 @subsection Window Configuration Names
22855 Here's a list of most of the currently known window configurations,
22856 and when they're used:
22863 Entering a group and showing only the summary.
22866 Selecting an article.
22872 Browsing groups from the server buffer.
22875 Composing a (new) message.
22878 Showing only the article buffer.
22881 Editing an article.
22884 Editing group parameters and the like.
22887 Editing a server definition.
22890 Composing a news message.
22893 Replying or following up an article without yanking the text.
22896 Forwarding a message.
22899 Replying or following up an article with yanking the text.
22902 Bouncing a message.
22905 Sending an article to an external process.
22908 Sending a bug report.
22911 Displaying the score trace.
22914 Displaying the score words.
22917 Displaying the split trace.
22919 @item compose-bounce
22920 Composing a bounce message.
22923 Previewing a @acronym{MIME} part.
22928 @subsection Example Window Configurations
22932 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
22933 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
22948 (gnus-add-configuration
22951 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22953 (summary 0.16 point)
22956 (gnus-add-configuration
22959 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22960 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
22966 @node Faces and Fonts
22967 @section Faces and Fonts
22972 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
22973 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
22974 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
22979 @section Compilation
22980 @cindex compilation
22981 @cindex byte-compilation
22983 @findex gnus-compile
22985 Remember all those line format specification variables?
22986 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
22987 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
22988 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
22989 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
22990 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
22993 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
22994 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
22995 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
22996 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
22997 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
22998 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
22999 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
23003 @section Mode Lines
23006 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
23007 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
23008 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
23009 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
23010 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
23011 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
23012 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
23015 @cindex display-time
23017 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
23018 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
23019 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
23020 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
23021 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
23022 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
23023 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
23024 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
23027 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
23029 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
23030 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
23032 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
23033 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
23034 (length display-time-string)))))
23037 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
23038 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
23039 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
23040 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
23041 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
23044 @node Highlighting and Menus
23045 @section Highlighting and Menus
23047 @cindex highlighting
23050 @vindex gnus-visual
23051 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
23052 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
23053 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
23056 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
23057 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
23060 @item group-highlight
23061 Do highlights in the group buffer.
23062 @item summary-highlight
23063 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
23064 @item article-highlight
23065 Do highlights in the article buffer.
23067 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
23069 Create menus in the group buffer.
23071 Create menus in the summary buffers.
23073 Create menus in the article buffer.
23075 Create menus in the browse buffer.
23077 Create menus in the server buffer.
23079 Create menus in the score buffers.
23081 Create menus in all buffers.
23084 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
23085 buffers, you could say something like:
23088 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
23091 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
23094 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
23097 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
23098 in all Gnus buffers.
23100 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
23103 @item gnus-mouse-face
23104 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
23105 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
23106 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
23110 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
23114 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
23115 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
23116 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
23118 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
23119 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
23120 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
23122 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
23123 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
23124 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
23126 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
23127 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
23128 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
23130 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
23131 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
23132 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
23134 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
23135 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
23136 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
23146 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
23147 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
23148 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
23149 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
23150 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
23152 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
23153 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
23154 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
23156 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
23157 been idle for thirty minutes:
23160 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
23163 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
23167 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
23170 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
23171 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
23172 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23174 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
23175 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
23176 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
23177 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23179 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
23180 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
23181 @var{idle} minutes.
23183 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
23184 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
23187 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
23188 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
23189 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
23191 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
23192 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
23193 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
23194 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
23196 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
23197 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23199 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
23201 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
23204 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
23205 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
23206 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
23207 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
23208 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
23209 @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
23210 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
23211 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
23212 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
23213 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
23215 @findex gnus-demon-init
23216 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
23217 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
23218 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
23219 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
23220 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
23222 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
23223 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
23224 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
23232 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
23233 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
23234 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
23236 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
23237 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
23238 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
23239 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
23240 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
23241 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
23242 @code{undo} function.
23244 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
23245 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
23246 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
23247 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
23248 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
23249 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
23250 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
23251 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
23252 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
23253 never be totally undoable.
23255 @findex gnus-undo-mode
23256 @vindex gnus-use-undo
23258 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
23259 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
23260 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
23261 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
23265 @node Predicate Specifiers
23266 @section Predicate Specifiers
23267 @cindex predicate specifiers
23269 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
23270 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
23271 to type all that much.
23273 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
23278 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
23279 gnus-article-unread-p)
23282 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
23283 functions all take one parameter.
23285 @findex gnus-make-predicate
23286 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
23287 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
23288 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
23293 @section Moderation
23296 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
23297 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
23298 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
23301 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
23305 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
23308 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
23310 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
23315 You split your incoming mail by matching on
23316 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
23317 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
23320 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
23321 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
23324 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
23325 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
23329 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
23332 (setq gnus-moderated-list
23333 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
23337 @node Fetching a Group
23338 @section Fetching a Group
23339 @cindex fetching a group
23341 @findex gnus-fetch-group
23342 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
23343 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
23344 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
23345 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
23346 It takes the group name as a parameter.
23349 @node Image Enhancements
23350 @section Image Enhancements
23352 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
23353 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
23354 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
23357 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
23358 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
23359 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
23360 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
23361 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
23362 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
23370 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
23371 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
23372 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
23376 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
23377 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
23378 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
23386 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
23387 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
23388 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
23389 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
23390 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
23391 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
23392 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
23393 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
23394 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
23395 @code{display} program.
23397 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
23398 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
23399 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
23400 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
23401 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
23402 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
23403 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
23404 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
23406 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
23407 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
23408 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
23409 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
23410 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
23411 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
23413 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
23421 @vindex gnus-x-face
23422 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
23423 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
23424 default colors are black and white.
23426 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
23427 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
23428 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
23429 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
23430 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
23431 XEmacs. Here are examples:
23434 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
23435 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23436 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
23437 (png . (:ascent 80))))
23439 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
23440 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23441 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
23442 (png . (:relief -2))))
23445 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
23446 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23447 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23448 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23449 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23450 @samp{libcompface} library.
23453 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23454 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23455 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23456 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23457 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23458 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23460 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23461 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23462 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23463 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23464 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23465 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23466 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23467 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23468 header data as a string.
23470 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23471 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23472 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23473 randomly generated data.
23475 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23476 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23477 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23478 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23479 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23481 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23482 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23485 (setq message-required-news-headers
23486 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23487 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23490 Using the last function would be something like this:
23493 (setq message-required-news-headers
23494 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23495 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23496 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23497 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23505 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23507 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23508 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23509 represent the author of the message.
23512 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23513 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23514 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23517 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23518 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23520 Viewing a @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23523 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23525 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23527 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23528 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23530 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23531 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23532 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23534 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23535 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23536 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23537 converts the file to Face format by using the
23538 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23540 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23541 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23544 (setq message-required-news-headers
23545 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23546 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23547 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23552 @subsection Smileys
23557 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23562 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23563 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23565 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23566 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23569 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23572 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23573 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23574 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23575 text and maps that to file names.
23577 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23578 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23579 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23580 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23581 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23584 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23589 @vindex smiley-style
23590 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23591 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23592 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23593 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23596 @item smiley-data-directory
23597 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23598 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23599 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23601 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23602 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23603 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23617 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23618 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23619 over your shoulder as you read news.
23621 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23630 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23631 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23632 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23633 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23634 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23635 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23636 @code{GIF} formats.
23639 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23640 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23641 point your Web browser at
23642 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23644 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23645 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23647 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23648 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23651 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23652 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23653 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23654 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
23656 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
23660 @item gnus-picon-databases
23661 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23662 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
23663 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
23664 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
23665 "/usr/local/faces")}.
23667 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
23668 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
23669 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23670 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
23672 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
23673 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
23674 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
23675 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
23677 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
23678 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
23679 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23680 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
23681 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
23683 @item gnus-picon-file-types
23684 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
23685 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
23686 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
23688 @item gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23689 @vindex gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23690 If non-@code{nil} (which is the default), don't display picons for
23691 things like @samp{.net} and @samp{.de}, which aren't usually very
23697 @subsection Gravatars
23701 \include{gravatars}
23705 A gravatar is an image registered to an e-mail address.
23707 You can submit yours on-line at @uref{http://www.gravatar.com}.
23709 The following variables offer control over how things are displayed.
23713 @item gnus-gravatar-size
23714 @vindex gnus-gravatar-size
23715 The size in pixels of gravatars. Gravatars are always square, so one
23716 number for the size is enough.
23718 @item gnus-gravatar-properties
23719 @vindex gnus-gravatar-properties
23720 List of image properties applied to Gravatar images.
23722 @item gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23723 @vindex gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23724 Regexp that matches mail addresses or names of people of which avatars
23725 should not be displayed, or @code{nil}. It default to the value of
23726 @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (@pxref{X-Face}).
23730 If you want to see them in the From field, set:
23732 (setq gnus-treat-from-gravatar 'head)
23735 If you want to see them in the Cc and To fields, set:
23738 (setq gnus-treat-mail-gravatar 'head)
23743 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
23746 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23747 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23748 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
23749 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
23750 unusual directory structure.
23752 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23753 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23754 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
23759 @subsubsection Toolbar
23763 @item gnus-use-toolbar
23764 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
23765 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
23766 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
23767 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
23768 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
23769 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
23770 names show. The default is @code{default}.
23772 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
23773 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
23774 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
23775 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
23776 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
23777 The default is that of the default toolbar.
23779 @item gnus-group-toolbar
23780 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
23781 The toolbar in the group buffer.
23783 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
23784 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
23785 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
23787 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23788 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23789 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
23800 @node Fuzzy Matching
23801 @section Fuzzy Matching
23802 @cindex fuzzy matching
23804 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
23805 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
23807 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
23808 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
23809 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
23811 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
23812 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
23813 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
23814 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
23815 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
23818 @node Thwarting Email Spam
23819 @section Thwarting Email Spam
23823 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23825 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
23826 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
23827 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
23828 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
23829 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
23830 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
23831 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
23832 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
23835 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
23836 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
23837 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
23838 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
23839 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
23840 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
23842 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
23845 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
23846 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
23847 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
23848 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
23851 @node The problem of spam
23852 @subsection The problem of spam
23854 @cindex spam filtering approaches
23855 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
23857 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23859 First, some background on spam.
23861 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
23862 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23863 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23864 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23865 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23866 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23867 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23868 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23869 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23871 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23872 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23873 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23874 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23875 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23876 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23877 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23878 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23879 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23882 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23883 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23884 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23885 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23886 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23887 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23888 from Bulgarian IPs.
23890 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23891 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23892 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23893 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23895 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23896 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23897 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23898 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23900 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23901 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23902 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23903 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23904 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23905 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23906 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23907 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23908 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23910 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23911 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23912 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23913 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23914 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23915 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23916 down for some time because of the incident.
23918 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23919 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23920 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23921 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23922 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23923 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23924 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23925 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
23926 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23927 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23928 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23930 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23931 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23932 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23933 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23934 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23935 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23936 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23939 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23940 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23944 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23946 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23947 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23949 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23950 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23951 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23952 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23953 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23954 part of the mail address.)
23957 (setq message-default-news-headers
23958 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23961 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23962 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23966 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23967 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23968 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23973 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23974 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23975 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23976 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23978 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23979 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23980 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23981 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23982 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23983 your fancy split rule in this way:
23988 (to "larsi" "misc")
23992 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23993 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23994 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23995 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23996 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23998 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23999 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
24000 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
24001 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
24003 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
24007 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
24008 @cindex SpamAssassin
24009 @cindex Vipul's Razor
24012 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
24013 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
24014 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
24015 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
24016 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
24017 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
24018 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
24020 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
24021 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
24022 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
24025 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
24026 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
24027 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
24028 Specifiers}) follow.
24032 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
24036 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
24039 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
24040 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
24041 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
24044 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
24048 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
24051 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
24052 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
24056 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
24057 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
24058 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
24059 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
24062 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
24064 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
24068 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
24069 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
24073 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
24074 downloaded by default. You need to set
24075 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
24076 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
24078 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
24079 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
24080 spam. And here is the nifty function:
24083 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
24084 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
24086 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
24087 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
24091 @subsection Hashcash
24094 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
24095 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
24096 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
24097 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
24098 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
24100 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
24101 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
24102 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
24103 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
24104 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
24105 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
24106 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
24107 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
24108 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
24109 one of them separately.
24112 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
24113 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
24114 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
24115 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
24116 need to install to use this feature, see
24117 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
24118 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
24120 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
24121 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
24122 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
24125 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
24128 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
24132 @item hashcash-default-payment
24133 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
24134 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
24135 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
24138 @item hashcash-payment-alist
24139 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
24140 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
24141 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
24142 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
24143 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
24144 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
24145 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
24146 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
24148 @item hashcash-path
24149 @vindex hashcash-path
24150 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
24151 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
24152 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
24153 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
24154 when you generate hashcash payments.
24158 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
24159 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
24160 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
24161 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
24162 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
24163 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
24164 Hashcash Payments}).
24167 @section Spam Package
24168 @cindex spam filtering
24171 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
24172 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
24173 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
24174 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
24177 * Spam Package Introduction::
24178 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
24179 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
24180 * Spam and Ham Processors::
24181 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
24183 * Extending the Spam package::
24184 * Spam Statistics Package::
24187 @node Spam Package Introduction
24188 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
24189 @cindex spam filtering
24190 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
24193 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
24194 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
24196 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
24197 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
24199 @cindex spam-initialize
24200 @vindex spam-use-stat
24201 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
24202 @code{spam-initialize}:
24208 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
24209 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
24210 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
24211 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
24212 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
24214 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
24215 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
24217 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
24218 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
24220 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
24221 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
24222 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
24223 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
24224 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
24226 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
24227 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
24228 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
24229 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
24230 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
24233 @cindex spam back ends
24234 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
24235 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
24236 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
24237 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
24238 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24240 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
24241 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
24243 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
24244 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
24245 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
24246 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
24247 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
24248 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
24249 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
24251 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
24252 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
24253 point, the Spam package does several things:
24255 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
24256 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
24257 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
24258 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
24259 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
24260 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
24261 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
24262 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
24265 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
24266 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
24274 @kindex $ (Summary)
24275 @kindex M-d (Summary)
24276 @kindex S x (Summary)
24277 @kindex M s x (Summary)
24278 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24279 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24280 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
24281 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
24285 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
24286 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
24288 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
24289 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
24290 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
24291 to be processed as ham by setting
24292 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
24293 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
24295 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24296 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24297 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
24298 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
24299 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
24300 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
24301 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
24302 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
24303 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
24304 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
24305 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
24306 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
24308 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
24309 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
24310 want each article to be processed only once, load the
24311 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
24312 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
24313 Configuration Examples}.
24315 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
24316 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
24317 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
24318 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
24320 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
24321 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
24323 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
24324 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
24325 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
24327 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
24328 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
24329 @cindex spam filtering
24330 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
24333 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
24334 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
24335 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
24336 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
24337 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
24343 @vindex spam-split-group
24345 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
24346 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
24347 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
24348 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
24349 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
24350 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
24351 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
24352 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
24353 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
24355 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
24357 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
24358 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
24359 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
24360 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to
24361 @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can ``scan''
24362 the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only retrieves
24363 the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells it to
24364 retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by default
24365 because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
24366 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Client-Side
24369 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
24370 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
24371 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
24372 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
24373 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
24374 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
24375 ends, and the following split rule:
24378 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24379 (any "ding" "ding")
24381 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24386 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
24387 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
24388 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
24389 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
24390 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
24391 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
24393 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
24394 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
24395 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
24396 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
24401 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
24402 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24403 (any "ding" "ding")
24404 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
24406 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24411 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
24412 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
24413 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
24414 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
24415 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
24416 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
24417 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
24419 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24420 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24421 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24422 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24424 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
24425 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
24428 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
24429 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
24431 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
24432 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
24433 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
24434 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24436 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24437 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24438 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24439 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
24441 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
24442 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
24443 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
24445 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
24446 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
24447 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
24448 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
24449 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
24450 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
24451 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
24453 @node Spam and Ham Processors
24454 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
24455 @cindex spam filtering
24456 @cindex spam filtering variables
24457 @cindex spam variables
24460 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24461 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24462 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24463 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24464 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24465 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24466 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24468 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24469 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24470 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24471 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24473 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24474 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24475 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24476 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24477 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24478 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24479 by customizing the corresponding variable
24480 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24481 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24482 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24483 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24484 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24485 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24486 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24489 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24491 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24492 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24493 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24494 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24495 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24496 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24497 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24498 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24499 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24500 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24501 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24502 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24503 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24505 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24506 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24507 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24508 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24509 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24510 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24511 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24512 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24515 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24516 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24517 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24518 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24519 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24520 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24521 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24526 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24527 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24528 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24529 you really want to.
24532 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24533 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24534 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24535 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24536 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24537 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24540 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24541 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24542 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24543 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24544 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24545 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24546 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24547 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24548 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24549 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24550 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24551 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24552 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24553 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24554 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24556 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24557 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24559 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24560 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24561 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24563 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24564 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24566 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24567 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24568 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24569 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24570 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24572 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24573 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24574 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24575 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24576 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24579 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24580 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24581 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24582 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24583 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24584 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24585 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24586 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24587 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24588 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24589 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24590 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24591 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24593 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24594 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24596 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24597 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24600 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24601 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24602 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24603 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24604 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24605 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24606 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24608 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24609 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24610 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24611 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24613 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24614 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24615 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24616 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24617 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24618 from the mail server.
24620 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24621 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24622 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24623 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24625 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24626 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24627 @cindex spam filtering
24628 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24629 @cindex spam configuration examples
24632 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24634 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24636 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24637 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24638 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24642 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24644 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24645 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24646 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24647 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24648 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24649 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24650 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24651 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24652 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24653 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
24654 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24655 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24656 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24657 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24658 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24659 (any "ding" "ding")
24660 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24662 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24665 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24667 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24668 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24669 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24670 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24672 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24674 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24675 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24676 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24677 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24678 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24680 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24681 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24683 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24685 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24686 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24688 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24689 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24690 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24692 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24694 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24695 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24697 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24698 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24699 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24701 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24702 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24703 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24704 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24706 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24707 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
24708 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
24712 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
24713 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24715 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
24716 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
24717 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
24718 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
24719 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
24720 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
24721 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
24722 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
24723 @samp{training.spam} folders.
24725 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
24726 does most of the job for me:
24729 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
24730 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
24731 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
24732 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24733 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
24734 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
24735 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
24740 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
24742 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
24743 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
24744 bogofilter or DCC).
24746 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
24747 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
24748 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
24749 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
24750 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
24751 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
24752 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
24754 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
24755 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
24756 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
24757 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
24758 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
24759 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
24761 @item @b{Ham folders:}
24763 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
24764 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
24765 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
24766 @samp{training.spam}.
24769 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
24771 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24773 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
24774 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
24775 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
24779 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
24782 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
24783 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
24784 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
24785 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
24786 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
24788 @node Spam Back Ends
24789 @subsection Spam Back Ends
24790 @cindex spam back ends
24792 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
24793 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
24794 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
24795 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
24799 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
24800 * BBDB Whitelists::
24801 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
24802 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
24804 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
24806 * SpamAssassin back end::
24807 * ifile spam filtering::
24808 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
24812 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
24813 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
24814 @cindex spam filtering
24815 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
24816 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
24819 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
24821 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
24822 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
24823 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
24824 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24829 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24831 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24832 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24833 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24834 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24835 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24839 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24841 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24842 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24843 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24847 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24849 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24850 customizing the group parameters or the
24851 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24852 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24853 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24857 Instead of the obsolete
24858 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24859 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24860 the same way, we promise.
24864 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24866 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24867 customizing the group parameters or the
24868 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24869 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24870 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24875 Instead of the obsolete
24876 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24877 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24878 the same way, we promise.
24882 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24883 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24884 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24885 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24886 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24888 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24889 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24890 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24891 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24893 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24894 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24895 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24896 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24897 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24898 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24900 @node BBDB Whitelists
24901 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24902 @cindex spam filtering
24903 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24904 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24907 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24909 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24910 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24911 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24912 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24913 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24914 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24915 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24919 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24921 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24922 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24923 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24924 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24925 classified as spammers.
24927 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24928 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24929 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24930 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24935 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24937 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24938 customizing the group parameters or the
24939 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24940 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24941 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24946 Instead of the obsolete
24947 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24948 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24949 the same way, we promise.
24953 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24954 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24955 @cindex spam reporting
24956 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24957 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24960 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24962 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24963 customizing the group parameters or the
24964 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24965 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24966 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24969 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24973 Instead of the obsolete
24974 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24975 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24976 same way, we promise.
24980 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24982 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24983 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24984 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24985 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24986 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24990 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24992 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24993 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24994 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24998 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24999 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
25000 @cindex spam filtering
25001 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
25004 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
25006 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
25007 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
25008 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
25009 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
25010 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
25011 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
25016 @subsubsection Blackholes
25017 @cindex spam filtering
25018 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
25021 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
25023 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
25024 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
25025 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
25026 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
25027 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
25028 contains outdated servers.
25030 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
25031 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
25032 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
25033 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
25034 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
25035 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
25039 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
25041 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
25045 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
25047 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
25048 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
25052 @defvar spam-use-dig
25054 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
25055 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
25059 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
25060 ham processor for blackholes.
25062 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
25063 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
25064 @cindex spam filtering
25065 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
25068 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
25070 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
25071 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
25072 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
25073 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
25074 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
25075 message is spam or ham, respectively.
25079 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
25081 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25082 the message, positively identify it as spam.
25086 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
25088 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25089 the message, positively identify it as ham.
25093 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
25094 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
25097 @subsubsection Bogofilter
25098 @cindex spam filtering
25099 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
25102 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
25104 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25107 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
25108 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
25109 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
25110 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
25111 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
25112 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
25114 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
25115 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
25118 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
25119 processing will be turned off.
25121 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
25130 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
25131 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
25134 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
25136 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25137 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
25138 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
25139 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
25140 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
25141 installation documents for details.
25143 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
25147 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
25148 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25149 customizing the group parameters or the
25150 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25151 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
25152 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
25156 Instead of the obsolete
25157 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25158 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25159 the same way, we promise.
25162 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
25163 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25164 customizing the group parameters or the
25165 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25166 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25167 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
25168 of non-spam messages.
25172 Instead of the obsolete
25173 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25174 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25175 the same way, we promise.
25178 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
25180 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
25181 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
25182 database directory.
25186 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
25187 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25188 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
25189 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
25190 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
25191 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
25193 @node SpamAssassin back end
25194 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
25195 @cindex spam filtering
25196 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
25199 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
25201 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
25203 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
25204 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
25205 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
25206 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
25209 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
25210 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
25211 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
25212 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
25215 You should not enable this if you use
25216 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
25220 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
25222 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
25223 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
25225 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
25229 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
25231 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
25232 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
25233 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
25234 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
25238 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
25239 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
25240 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
25241 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
25242 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
25243 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
25244 to test this functionality.
25246 @node ifile spam filtering
25247 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
25248 @cindex spam filtering
25249 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
25252 @defvar spam-use-ifile
25254 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
25255 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
25259 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
25261 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
25262 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
25263 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
25267 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
25269 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
25270 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
25271 the default value of @samp{spam}.
25274 @defvar spam-ifile-database
25276 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
25277 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
25281 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
25282 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25283 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
25284 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
25287 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
25288 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
25289 @cindex spam filtering
25290 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
25294 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
25295 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
25296 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
25297 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
25298 spam-stat dictionary}.
25300 @defvar spam-use-stat
25304 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
25305 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25306 customizing the group parameters or the
25307 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25308 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25309 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
25313 Instead of the obsolete
25314 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25315 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25316 the same way, we promise.
25319 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
25320 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25321 customizing the group parameters or the
25322 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25323 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25324 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
25325 of non-spam messages.
25329 Instead of the obsolete
25330 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25331 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25332 the same way, we promise.
25335 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
25336 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
25337 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
25338 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
25339 @code{spam-split} are provided.
25342 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
25343 @cindex spam filtering
25347 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
25348 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
25349 installed separately.
25351 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
25352 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
25353 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
25354 mail as a spam mail or not.
25356 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
25357 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
25358 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
25360 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
25363 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
25364 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
25365 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
25366 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
25367 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
25368 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
25369 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
25370 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
25373 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
25374 spam-split-group "Junk"
25375 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
25376 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
25377 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
25380 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
25381 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
25385 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
25386 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
25387 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
25391 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
25392 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
25393 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
25394 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
25395 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
25396 database to live somewhere special, set
25397 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
25400 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
25401 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
25402 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
25403 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
25404 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
25405 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
25406 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
25407 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
25408 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
25409 @xref{Spam Package}.
25411 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
25412 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25413 customizing the group parameter or the
25414 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25415 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
25416 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
25420 Instead of the obsolete
25421 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25422 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25423 the same way, we promise.
25426 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
25427 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25428 customizing the group parameter or the
25429 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25430 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
25431 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
25436 Instead of the obsolete
25437 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25438 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25439 the same way, we promise.
25442 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
25443 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
25446 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
25447 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
25448 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
25450 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
25451 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
25452 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
25453 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
25454 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
25455 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
25457 @node Extending the Spam package
25458 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25459 @cindex spam filtering
25460 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25461 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25463 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25464 incoming mail, provide the following:
25472 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25473 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25476 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25478 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25479 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25480 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
25481 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25482 register/unregister spam and ham.
25487 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25488 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25489 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25490 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25495 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25502 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25503 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25505 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25506 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25507 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25508 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25511 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25512 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25513 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25515 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25516 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25517 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25526 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25527 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25529 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25530 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25531 variable customization.
25535 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25537 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25538 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25540 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25541 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25547 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25549 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25550 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25551 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25554 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25556 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25557 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25561 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25563 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25564 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25565 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25569 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25571 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25572 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25573 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25576 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25578 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25579 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25583 @code{spam-install-backend}
25585 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25586 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25587 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25590 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25592 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25593 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25594 never install such a back end.
25599 @node Spam Statistics Package
25600 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25601 @cindex Paul Graham
25602 @cindex Graham, Paul
25603 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25604 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25605 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25607 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25608 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25609 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25610 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25611 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25612 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25613 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25614 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25615 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25618 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25619 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25620 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25621 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25622 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25623 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25624 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25625 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25627 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25628 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25629 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25631 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25632 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25633 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25634 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25635 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25638 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25639 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25640 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25643 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25644 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25646 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25647 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25648 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25649 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25650 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25652 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25653 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25654 per mail. Use the following:
25656 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25657 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25658 is treated as one spam mail.
25661 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25662 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25663 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25666 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25667 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25668 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25669 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25670 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25671 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25673 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25674 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25675 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25676 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25677 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25680 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25681 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25682 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25683 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25686 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25687 reset the dictionary.
25689 @defun spam-stat-reset
25690 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25693 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25694 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25695 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25696 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25697 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25698 only non-spam mails.
25700 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25701 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25702 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25705 @defun spam-stat-save
25706 Save the dictionary.
25709 @defvar spam-stat-file
25710 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
25711 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
25714 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
25715 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
25717 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
25718 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
25720 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25723 (require 'spam-stat)
25727 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
25730 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
25731 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
25732 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
25733 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
25735 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
25736 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
25737 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
25738 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
25741 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25742 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25746 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
25747 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
25750 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
25751 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
25752 expression are considered potential spam.
25755 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25756 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25757 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25761 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
25762 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
25763 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
25764 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
25765 mails, when creating the dictionary!
25768 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25769 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25770 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25774 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
25775 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
25776 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
25777 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
25778 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
25782 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25783 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
25784 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25785 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25790 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25791 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25793 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
25795 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
25796 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
25797 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25800 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
25801 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
25802 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25805 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
25806 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
25807 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
25808 already been processed as non-spam.
25811 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
25812 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
25813 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
25814 been processed as spam.
25817 @defun spam-stat-save
25818 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
25819 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25822 @defun spam-stat-load
25823 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
25824 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25827 @defun spam-stat-score-word
25828 Return the spam score for a word.
25831 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
25832 Return the spam score for a buffer.
25835 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
25836 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
25837 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25840 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25841 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25844 (require 'spam-stat)
25848 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25851 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25852 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25853 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25854 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25855 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25856 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25857 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25858 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25859 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25860 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25861 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25862 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25863 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25864 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25867 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25870 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25871 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25872 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25873 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25874 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25875 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25878 @node The Gnus Registry
25879 @section The Gnus Registry
25884 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
25885 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
25886 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
25887 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
25888 features are pretty cool.
25890 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
25891 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
25895 Split messages to their parent
25897 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
25898 the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
25902 Refer to messages by ID
25904 Commands like @code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article} can take
25905 advantage of the registry to jump to the referred article, regardless
25906 of the group the message is in.
25909 Store custom flags and keywords
25911 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
25912 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
25913 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
25917 Store arbitrary data
25919 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
25920 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
25921 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
25925 * Gnus Registry Setup::
25926 * Fancy splitting to parent::
25927 * Registry Article Refer Method::
25928 * Store custom flags and keywords::
25929 * Store arbitrary data::
25932 @node Gnus Registry Setup
25933 @subsection Gnus Registry Setup
25935 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
25938 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500)
25940 (gnus-registry-initialize)
25943 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
25944 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
25945 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
25946 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
25947 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
25949 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
25950 what they do before you copy them blindly).
25954 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
25955 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
25959 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
25960 ;; this is the default
25961 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
25964 They say: keep a lot of messages around, track messages by sender and
25965 subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when the registry splits
25966 incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where messages should go
25967 if there's more than one possibility. In addition, the registry
25968 should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'', ``nnrss'',
25969 ``spam'', or ``train.''
25971 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
25972 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
25973 the general settings.
25975 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
25976 The groups that will not be followed by
25977 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
25978 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
25979 By default any group name that ends with ``delayed'', ``drafts'',
25980 ``queue'', or ``INBOX'', belongs to the nnmairix backend, or contains
25981 the word ``archive'' is not followed.
25984 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
25985 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
25986 registry will keep.
25989 @defvar gnus-registry-max-pruned-entries
25990 The maximum number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries
25991 the registry will keep after pruning.
25994 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
25995 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions. By
25996 default the file name is @code{.gnus.registry.eioio} in the same
25997 directory as your @code{.newsrc.eld}.
26000 @node Registry Article Refer Method
26001 @subsection Fetching by @code{Message-ID} Using the Registry
26003 The registry knows how to map each @code{Message-ID} to the group it's
26004 in. This can be leveraged to enhance the ``article refer method'',
26005 the thing that tells Gnus how to look up an article given its
26006 Message-ID (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
26009 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
26011 The @code{nnregistry} refer method does exactly that. It has the
26012 advantage that an article may be found regardless of the group it's
26013 in---provided its @code{Message-ID} is known to the registry. It can
26014 be enabled by augmenting the start-up file with something along these
26018 ;; Keep enough entries to have a good hit rate when referring to an
26019 ;; article using the registry. Use long group names so that Gnus
26020 ;; knows where the article is.
26021 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500)
26023 (gnus-registry-initialize)
26025 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
26028 (nnweb "gmane" (nnweb-type gmane))))
26031 The example above instructs Gnus to first look up the article in the
26032 current group, or, alternatively, using the registry, and finally, if
26033 all else fails, using Gmane.
26035 @node Fancy splitting to parent
26036 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
26038 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
26040 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
26041 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
26042 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
26045 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
26046 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
26047 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
26048 have to put a rule like this:
26051 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
26053 ;; split to parent: you need this
26054 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
26056 ;; other rules, as an example
26062 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
26063 following variables.
26065 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
26066 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
26067 Customize interface. By default it's @code{(subject sender)}, which
26068 may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
26069 people don't stick to the same groups.
26072 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
26073 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
26074 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
26075 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
26076 the majority of matches or on the first found. I find @code{majority}
26080 @node Store custom flags and keywords
26081 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
26083 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
26084 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
26085 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
26087 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
26088 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
26089 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
26090 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
26091 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
26092 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
26094 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
26095 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
26096 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
26100 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
26101 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
26102 will offer the available marks for completion.
26105 You can use @code{defalias} to install a summary line formatting
26106 function that will show the registry marks. There are two flavors of
26107 this function, either showing the marks as single characters, using
26108 their @code{:char} property, or showing the marks as full strings.
26111 ;; show the marks as single characters (see the :char property in
26112 ;; `gnus-registry-marks'):
26113 ;; (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-M 'gnus-registry-article-marks-to-chars)
26115 ;; show the marks by name (see `gnus-registry-marks'):
26116 ;; (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-M 'gnus-registry-article-marks-to-names)
26120 @node Store arbitrary data
26121 @subsection Store arbitrary data
26123 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
26124 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
26127 @defun gnus-registry-set-id-key (id key value)
26128 Store @code{value} under @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26131 @defun gnus-registry-get-id-key (id key)
26132 Get the data under @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26135 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
26136 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
26137 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
26138 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
26139 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
26144 @section Interaction with other modes
26149 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
26150 buffers. It is enabled with
26152 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
26157 @findex gnus-dired-attach
26158 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
26159 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
26160 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
26163 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
26164 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
26165 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
26169 @findex gnus-dired-print
26170 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
26171 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
26174 @node Various Various
26175 @section Various Various
26181 @item gnus-home-directory
26182 @vindex gnus-home-directory
26183 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
26184 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
26186 @item gnus-directory
26187 @vindex gnus-directory
26188 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
26189 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
26190 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
26192 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
26193 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
26194 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
26195 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
26197 @item gnus-default-directory
26198 @vindex gnus-default-directory
26199 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
26200 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
26201 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
26202 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
26203 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
26204 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
26207 @vindex gnus-verbose
26208 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
26209 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
26210 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
26211 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
26212 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
26214 @item gnus-verbose-backends
26215 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
26216 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
26217 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
26219 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26220 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26221 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
26222 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
26223 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
26224 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
26225 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
26226 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
26227 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
26228 displayed in the echo area.
26230 @item nnheader-max-head-length
26231 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
26232 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
26233 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
26234 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
26235 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
26236 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
26237 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
26238 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
26239 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
26241 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
26242 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
26243 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
26244 read when doing the operation described above.
26246 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26247 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26249 @cindex invalid characters in file names
26250 @cindex characters in file names
26251 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
26252 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
26253 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
26257 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26262 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
26263 Windows (phooey) systems.
26265 @item gnus-hidden-properties
26266 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
26267 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
26268 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
26269 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
26271 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
26272 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
26273 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
26274 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
26275 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
26277 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
26278 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
26279 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
26281 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26282 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26284 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
26285 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
26286 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
26287 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
26290 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
26292 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26293 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26294 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
26295 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
26296 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
26297 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
26298 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
26299 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
26300 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
26307 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
26308 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
26310 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
26312 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
26318 Not because of victories @*
26321 but for the common sunshine,@*
26323 the largess of the spring.
26327 but for the day's work done@*
26328 as well as I was able;@*
26329 not for a seat upon the dais@*
26330 but at the common table.@*
26335 @chapter Appendices
26338 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
26339 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
26340 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
26341 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
26342 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
26343 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
26344 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
26345 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
26346 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
26353 @cindex installing under XEmacs
26355 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
26356 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
26357 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
26358 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
26359 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
26360 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
26367 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
26368 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
26370 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
26371 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
26372 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
26373 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
26374 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
26376 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
26377 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
26378 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
26379 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
26380 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
26381 appropriate name, don't you think?)
26383 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
26384 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
26385 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
26386 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
26389 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
26390 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
26391 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
26392 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
26393 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
26394 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
26395 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
26396 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
26397 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
26401 @node Gnus Versions
26402 @subsection Gnus Versions
26404 @cindex September Gnus
26406 @cindex Quassia Gnus
26407 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
26410 @cindex Gnus versions
26412 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
26413 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
26414 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
26416 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
26417 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
26419 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
26420 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
26422 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
26423 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
26425 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
26426 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
26429 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
26430 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
26432 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
26434 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
26435 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
26436 with the information when possible).
26438 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
26439 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
26440 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
26441 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
26442 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
26443 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
26446 @node Other Gnus Versions
26447 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
26450 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
26451 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
26452 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
26453 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
26455 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
26456 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
26457 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
26458 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
26465 What's the point of Gnus?
26467 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
26468 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
26469 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
26470 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
26471 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
26472 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
26473 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
26474 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
26475 keep track of millions of people who post?
26477 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
26478 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
26479 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
26480 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
26481 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
26482 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
26483 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
26484 every one of you to explore and invent.
26486 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
26487 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
26490 @node Compatibility
26491 @subsection Compatibility
26493 @cindex compatibility
26494 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
26495 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
26496 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
26501 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
26505 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
26508 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
26511 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
26512 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
26513 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
26514 important variables have their values copied into their global
26515 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
26516 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
26518 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
26519 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
26520 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
26521 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
26522 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
26526 @cindex highlighting
26527 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
26528 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
26529 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
26530 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
26531 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26532 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26535 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26536 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26537 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26538 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26540 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26541 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26542 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26543 to stop doing it the old way.
26545 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26547 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26549 @cindex reporting bugs
26551 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26552 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26553 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26555 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26556 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26557 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26558 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26563 @subsection Conformity
26565 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26566 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26574 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26578 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26580 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26581 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26582 We do have some breaches to this one.
26588 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26589 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26590 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26591 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26592 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26597 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26598 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26599 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26600 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26602 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
26603 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26604 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26606 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
26607 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26609 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26612 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26613 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26614 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26615 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26616 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26619 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
26620 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26621 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26622 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26624 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
26625 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26627 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26628 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26629 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26630 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26631 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26632 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26633 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26634 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26638 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26639 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26644 @subsection Emacsen
26650 This version of Gnus should work on:
26658 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26662 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26663 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26664 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26665 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26667 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26670 @node Gnus Development
26671 @subsection Gnus Development
26673 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26674 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26675 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26676 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26677 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26678 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26679 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26680 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26682 After futzing around for 10-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26683 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26684 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26685 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26686 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26687 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26688 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26692 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26693 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26694 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26695 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26696 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26698 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26699 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26700 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26701 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26702 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26703 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26704 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26705 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26706 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26707 can't be assumed to do so.
26709 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
26710 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
26711 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
26714 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26715 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26716 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26717 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26718 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26721 @subsection Contributors
26722 @cindex contributors
26724 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26725 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26726 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26727 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26728 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26729 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26730 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26731 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26732 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26733 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26735 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26741 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26744 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el,
26745 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26746 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26747 functionality and stuff.
26750 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26751 well as numerous other things).
26754 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
26757 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
26760 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
26763 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
26766 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
26767 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
26770 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
26773 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
26776 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
26779 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
26782 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
26785 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
26788 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
26789 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
26792 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
26795 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
26798 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
26801 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
26805 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
26808 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
26811 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
26814 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
26815 well as autoconf support.
26819 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
26820 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
26822 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
26837 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
26839 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
26843 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
26853 Alexei V. Barantsev,
26868 Massimo Campostrini,
26873 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
26874 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
26878 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
26881 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
26887 Michael Welsh Duggan,
26892 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
26896 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
26904 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
26906 Michelangelo Grigni,
26910 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
26912 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
26914 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
26922 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
26923 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
26924 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
26926 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
26936 Peter Skov Knudsen,
26937 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
26939 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
26940 Thor Kristoffersen,
26943 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
26961 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
26962 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
26969 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
26974 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
26978 John McClary Prevost,
26984 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
26989 Christian von Roques,
26992 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
26999 Philippe Schnoebelen,
27001 Randal L. Schwartz,
27015 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
27020 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
27040 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
27041 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
27042 (550kB and counting).
27044 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
27047 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
27048 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
27052 @subsection New Features
27053 @cindex new features
27056 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
27057 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
27058 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
27059 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
27060 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
27061 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
27062 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
27065 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
27066 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
27067 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
27070 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
27072 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
27077 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
27078 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
27081 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
27082 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
27085 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
27088 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
27089 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
27090 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
27093 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
27094 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
27095 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
27096 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27099 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
27100 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27103 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
27104 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
27105 (@pxref{The Active File}).
27108 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
27109 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
27112 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
27113 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
27114 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27117 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
27118 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
27119 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
27122 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
27123 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
27126 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
27127 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
27130 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
27131 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27134 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
27135 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
27138 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
27139 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27142 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
27145 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
27146 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
27149 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
27150 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
27153 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
27154 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
27157 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
27160 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
27161 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27164 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
27168 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
27172 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
27173 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
27178 @node September Gnus
27179 @subsubsection September Gnus
27183 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
27187 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
27192 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
27193 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
27197 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
27198 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
27202 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
27206 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
27207 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
27210 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
27214 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
27217 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
27220 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
27223 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
27227 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
27228 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
27231 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
27235 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
27239 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
27243 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
27247 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
27250 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
27251 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
27254 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
27258 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
27259 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
27262 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
27265 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
27266 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
27267 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27270 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
27273 The Gnus cache is much faster.
27276 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
27280 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
27281 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
27284 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
27285 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
27288 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
27289 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
27292 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
27293 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
27294 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
27297 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
27298 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
27301 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
27304 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27307 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
27310 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
27313 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
27314 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
27317 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
27321 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
27324 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
27329 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27332 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
27336 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
27339 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
27342 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
27343 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27346 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
27347 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
27351 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
27352 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
27355 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
27359 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
27360 buffer to allow easier treatment.
27363 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
27366 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
27370 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
27374 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
27375 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
27378 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
27382 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
27383 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27386 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
27387 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27390 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
27394 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27397 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
27400 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
27406 @subsubsection Red Gnus
27408 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
27412 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
27419 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
27422 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
27423 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27426 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
27427 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
27431 Article washing status can be displayed in the
27432 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
27435 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
27438 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
27439 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
27442 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
27446 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
27447 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
27451 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
27452 Server Internals}).
27455 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
27459 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
27462 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
27463 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
27466 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
27467 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
27468 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
27471 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
27472 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27475 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
27476 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
27479 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
27483 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
27484 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27487 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
27488 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27491 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
27495 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
27498 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
27502 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
27503 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27506 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
27507 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27510 A new command for reading collections of documents
27511 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
27512 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
27515 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
27519 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
27520 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
27523 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
27524 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
27525 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
27528 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
27529 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27533 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27537 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27541 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27546 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27550 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27554 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27555 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27558 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27564 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27566 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27571 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27572 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27573 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27576 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27577 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27578 group, which is created automatically.
27581 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27585 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
27588 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27589 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27592 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27596 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27599 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27600 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27603 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27606 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27610 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27611 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27614 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27615 control over simplification.
27618 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27621 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27625 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27628 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27631 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27632 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27633 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27636 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27637 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27640 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27644 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27645 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27648 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27649 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27652 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27656 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27659 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27662 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27663 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27666 A new function for citing in Message has been
27667 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27670 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27673 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27677 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27678 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27681 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27682 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27685 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27688 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27692 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27693 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27695 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27700 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27701 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27703 If you used procmail like in
27706 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27707 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27708 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27709 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27712 this now has changed to
27716 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27720 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27723 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27724 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27727 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27728 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27731 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27732 called to position point.
27735 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27736 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27739 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27740 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27743 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27744 subtly different manner.
27747 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
27748 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
27749 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
27752 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
27757 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
27760 New features in Gnus 5.10:
27764 @item Installation changes
27765 @c ***********************
27769 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
27771 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
27772 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
27773 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
27774 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
27775 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
27776 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
27777 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
27778 isn't save in general.
27781 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
27782 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
27783 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
27784 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
27785 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
27786 remove-installed-shadows}.
27789 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
27791 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
27792 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
27793 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
27794 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
27795 the second parameter.
27797 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
27798 automatic recognition of XEmacs and Emacs, generates
27799 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
27800 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
27801 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
27802 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
27803 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
27804 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
27805 cycle used under Unix systems.
27807 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
27808 superfluous, so they have been removed.
27811 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
27813 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
27814 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
27817 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
27818 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
27820 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
27822 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
27823 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
27824 lisp directory into load-path.
27826 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
27827 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
27831 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
27832 @c *****************************************
27837 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
27838 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
27841 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
27843 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
27844 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS.
27847 Improved anti-spam features.
27849 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
27850 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
27851 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
27852 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
27853 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
27854 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
27857 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27859 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27860 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27861 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27862 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27863 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27867 @item Changes in group mode
27868 @c ************************
27873 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
27877 Retrieval of charters and control messages
27879 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
27880 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
27883 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
27885 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
27886 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
27887 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
27888 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
27889 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
27892 (setq gnus-parameters
27894 (gnus-show-threads nil)
27895 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
27896 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
27897 (to-group . "\\1"))))
27901 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
27903 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
27904 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
27905 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
27906 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
27907 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
27908 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
27909 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
27910 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
27911 when getting new mail, remove the function.
27914 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27916 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27917 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27918 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27921 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27922 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27924 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27925 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27926 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27928 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27932 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
27933 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
27934 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
27938 @item Changes in summary and article mode
27939 @c **************************************
27944 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
27945 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
27946 region if the region is active.
27949 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
27950 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
27955 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
27956 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
27957 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
27958 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
27961 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
27966 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
27967 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
27969 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
27970 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
27974 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
27975 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
27978 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
27981 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
27982 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
27985 Warn about email replies to news
27987 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
27988 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
27992 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
27993 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
27997 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
27998 opposed to old but unread messages).
28001 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
28002 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
28005 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
28006 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
28009 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
28010 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
28013 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
28015 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
28016 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
28017 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
28018 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
28021 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
28022 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
28023 Outlook (Express) articles.
28026 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
28028 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
28029 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
28030 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
28031 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
28033 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
28034 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
28035 message cited below.
28038 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
28041 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
28045 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
28048 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
28049 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
28052 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
28055 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
28057 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
28058 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
28059 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
28060 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
28061 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
28065 Deleting of attachments.
28067 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
28068 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
28069 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
28070 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
28071 that support editing.
28074 @code{gnus-default-charset}
28076 The default value is determined from the
28077 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
28078 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
28079 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
28082 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
28084 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
28085 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
28086 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
28089 Extended format specs.
28091 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
28092 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
28093 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
28094 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
28095 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
28096 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
28099 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
28100 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
28102 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
28103 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
28104 out other articles.
28107 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
28109 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
28110 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
28111 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
28112 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
28115 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
28119 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
28120 @c ****************************************************
28127 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
28128 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
28129 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
28132 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
28133 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
28136 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
28137 Gcc articles as read.
28140 Externalizing of attachments
28142 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
28143 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
28144 local files as external parts.
28147 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
28148 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
28151 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
28153 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
28154 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
28155 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
28156 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
28157 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
28158 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
28159 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
28160 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
28161 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
28164 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
28166 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
28167 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
28168 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
28169 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
28170 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
28171 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
28174 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
28175 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
28179 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
28182 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
28184 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
28185 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
28186 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
28187 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
28188 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
28189 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
28190 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
28191 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
28192 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
28193 was inserted directly.
28196 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
28198 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
28199 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
28200 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
28201 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
28202 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
28205 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
28207 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
28209 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
28210 'bbdb-complete-name)
28214 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
28216 Add a new format of match like
28218 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
28219 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28221 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
28223 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
28224 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28228 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
28230 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
28231 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
28232 need add those two headers too.
28235 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
28236 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
28237 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
28241 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
28242 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
28243 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
28244 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
28245 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
28248 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
28250 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
28253 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
28255 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
28259 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
28261 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
28262 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
28263 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
28264 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
28265 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
28266 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
28267 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
28268 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
28271 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
28272 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
28274 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
28275 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
28276 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
28277 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
28280 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
28283 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
28284 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
28287 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
28290 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
28291 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
28292 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
28293 invalidate the digital signature.
28296 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
28297 decompressed when activated.
28298 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
28301 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
28303 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
28304 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
28305 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
28306 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
28307 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
28310 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
28311 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
28312 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
28313 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
28315 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
28316 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
28317 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
28318 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
28322 @item Changes in back ends
28323 @c ***********************
28327 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
28330 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
28333 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
28335 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
28338 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
28340 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
28341 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
28342 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
28343 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
28344 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
28345 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
28346 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
28347 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
28348 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
28349 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
28350 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
28360 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
28361 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
28364 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
28365 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
28366 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
28367 message, Message Manual}).
28370 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
28371 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
28372 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
28373 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
28375 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
28376 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
28377 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
28382 @item Miscellaneous changes
28383 @c ************************
28390 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
28391 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
28392 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
28393 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
28394 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
28395 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
28396 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
28397 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
28398 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
28399 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
28400 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
28401 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
28402 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
28403 is not needed any more.
28406 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
28408 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
28409 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
28410 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
28415 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
28416 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
28417 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
28421 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
28424 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
28426 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
28433 @subsubsection No Gnus
28436 New features in No Gnus:
28437 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
28439 @include gnus-news.texi
28445 @section The Manual
28449 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
28450 either @code{texi2dvi}
28452 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
28453 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
28455 to get what you hold in your hands now.
28457 The following conventions have been used:
28462 This is a @samp{string}
28465 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
28468 This is a @file{file}
28471 This is a @code{symbol}
28475 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
28479 (setq flargnoze "yes")
28482 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
28485 (setq flumphel 'yes)
28488 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
28489 ever get them confused.
28493 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
28494 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
28495 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
28496 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
28497 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
28498 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
28499 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
28505 @node On Writing Manuals
28506 @section On Writing Manuals
28508 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
28509 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
28510 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
28511 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
28512 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
28513 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
28516 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
28517 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
28518 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
28521 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
28522 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
28527 @section Terminology
28529 @cindex terminology
28534 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28535 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28536 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28537 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28538 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28542 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28543 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28544 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28545 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28549 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28553 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28558 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28559 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28560 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28561 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28562 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28563 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28564 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28565 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28566 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28569 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28570 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28571 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28572 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28573 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28574 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28576 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28577 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28578 access the articles.
28580 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28581 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28582 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28587 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28588 default, way of getting news.
28592 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
28593 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
28598 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
28599 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
28603 A message that has been posted as news.
28606 @cindex mail message
28607 A message that has been mailed.
28611 A mail message or news article
28615 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28620 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28625 A line from the head of an article.
28629 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28630 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28632 @item @acronym{NOV}
28633 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28634 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28635 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28636 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28637 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28638 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28640 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28641 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28642 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28643 normal @sc{head} format.
28645 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28646 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28647 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28648 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28649 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28652 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28653 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28654 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28655 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28656 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28657 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28658 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28662 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
28663 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28664 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
28665 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28666 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28667 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28669 @item killed groups
28670 @cindex killed groups
28671 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28672 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28674 @item zombie groups
28675 @cindex zombie groups
28676 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28679 @cindex active file
28680 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28681 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28682 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28685 @cindex bogus groups
28686 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28687 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28688 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28691 @cindex activating groups
28692 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28693 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28694 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28698 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28699 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28700 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28704 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28706 @item select method
28707 @cindex select method
28708 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28711 @item virtual server
28712 @cindex virtual server
28713 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28714 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28715 whole is a virtual server.
28719 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28720 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28723 @item ephemeral groups
28724 @cindex ephemeral groups
28725 @cindex temporary groups
28726 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28727 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28728 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28731 @cindex solid groups
28732 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28733 group buffer are solid groups.
28735 @item sparse articles
28736 @cindex sparse articles
28737 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28738 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28742 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28743 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
28747 @cindex thread root
28748 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
28749 articles in the thread.
28753 An article that has responses.
28757 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
28761 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
28762 specified by RFC 1153.
28765 @cindex splitting, terminology
28766 @cindex mail sorting
28767 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
28768 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
28769 incorrectly called mail filtering.
28775 @node Customization
28776 @section Customization
28777 @cindex general customization
28779 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
28780 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
28781 for some quite common situations.
28784 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
28785 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
28786 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
28787 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
28791 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
28792 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
28794 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
28795 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
28796 Gnus has to get from the server.
28800 @item gnus-read-active-file
28801 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
28802 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
28803 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28804 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
28805 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
28807 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
28808 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
28809 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
28810 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
28811 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
28812 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
28813 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
28814 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
28815 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
28816 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
28817 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
28819 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
28820 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
28821 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
28822 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
28823 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
28828 @node Slow Terminal Connection
28829 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
28831 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
28832 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
28833 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
28837 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
28838 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
28839 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
28840 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
28841 horizontal and vertical recentering.
28843 @item gnus-visible-headers
28844 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
28845 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
28846 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
28847 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
28849 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
28851 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
28852 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
28853 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
28856 @item gnus-use-full-window
28857 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
28858 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
28859 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
28860 want to read them anyway.
28862 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
28863 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
28867 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
28868 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
28869 lines, which might save some time.
28873 @node Little Disk Space
28874 @subsection Little Disk Space
28877 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
28878 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
28882 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
28883 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
28884 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28885 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28888 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
28889 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
28890 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28891 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28894 @item gnus-save-killed-list
28895 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
28896 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
28897 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
28898 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
28904 @subsection Slow Machine
28905 @cindex slow machine
28907 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
28908 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
28910 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28911 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
28913 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
28914 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
28915 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
28919 @node Troubleshooting
28920 @section Troubleshooting
28921 @cindex troubleshooting
28923 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
28931 Make sure your computer is switched on.
28934 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
28935 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
28939 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
28941 @samp{No Gnus v0.18} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
28943 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
28944 files lying around. Delete these.
28947 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
28948 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
28951 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
28952 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
28953 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
28954 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
28955 something like that.
28958 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
28961 @cindex reporting bugs
28963 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
28965 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
28966 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
28967 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
28968 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
28970 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
28971 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
28972 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
28973 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
28976 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
28977 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
28978 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
28979 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
28980 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
28981 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
28983 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
28984 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
28985 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
28989 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
28990 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
28993 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
28994 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
28995 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
28996 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
28997 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
28998 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
28999 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
29000 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
29001 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
29002 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
29003 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
29004 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
29005 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
29006 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
29011 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
29012 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
29013 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
29014 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
29015 helps isolating the real problem areas).
29017 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
29018 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
29019 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
29020 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
29021 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
29022 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
29023 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
29024 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
29025 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
29026 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
29027 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
29028 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
29029 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
29032 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
29033 @cindex ding mailing list
29034 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
29035 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
29036 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
29037 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
29041 @node Gnus Reference Guide
29042 @section Gnus Reference Guide
29044 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
29045 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
29046 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
29047 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
29050 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
29051 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
29052 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
29053 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
29054 and general methods of operation.
29057 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
29058 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
29059 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
29060 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
29061 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
29062 * Group Info:: The group info format.
29063 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
29064 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
29065 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
29069 @node Gnus Utility Functions
29070 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
29071 @cindex Gnus utility functions
29072 @cindex utility functions
29074 @cindex internal variables
29076 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
29077 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
29078 Below is a list of the most common ones.
29082 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
29083 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
29084 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
29086 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
29087 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
29088 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
29090 @item gnus-group-real-name
29091 @findex gnus-group-real-name
29092 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
29095 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
29096 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
29097 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
29098 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
29100 @item gnus-get-info
29101 @findex gnus-get-info
29102 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
29104 @item gnus-group-unread
29105 @findex gnus-group-unread
29106 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
29110 @findex gnus-active
29111 The active entry for @var{group}.
29113 @item gnus-set-active
29114 @findex gnus-set-active
29115 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
29117 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29118 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29119 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
29122 @item gnus-continuum-version
29123 @findex gnus-continuum-version
29124 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
29125 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
29128 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
29129 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
29130 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
29132 @item gnus-news-group-p
29133 @findex gnus-news-group-p
29134 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
29136 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29137 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29138 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
29140 @item gnus-server-to-method
29141 @findex gnus-server-to-method
29142 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
29144 @item gnus-server-equal
29145 @findex gnus-server-equal
29146 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
29148 @item gnus-group-native-p
29149 @findex gnus-group-native-p
29150 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
29152 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
29153 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
29154 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
29156 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
29157 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
29158 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
29160 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
29161 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
29162 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
29163 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
29165 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
29166 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
29167 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
29169 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
29170 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
29171 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
29173 @item gnus-check-backend-function
29174 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
29175 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
29176 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
29179 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
29183 @item gnus-read-method
29184 @findex gnus-read-method
29185 Prompts the user for a select method.
29190 @node Back End Interface
29191 @subsection Back End Interface
29193 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
29194 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
29195 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
29196 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
29197 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
29198 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
29200 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
29201 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
29202 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
29203 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
29204 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
29205 been opened, the function should fail.
29207 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
29208 name. Take this example:
29212 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
29213 (nntp-port-number 4324))
29216 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
29217 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
29219 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
29220 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
29221 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
29223 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
29224 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
29225 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
29227 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
29228 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
29229 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
29230 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
29231 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
29232 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
29235 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
29236 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
29237 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
29238 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
29241 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
29242 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
29243 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
29244 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
29245 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
29246 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
29247 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
29248 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
29249 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
29250 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
29252 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
29253 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
29254 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
29255 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
29256 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
29257 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
29258 of numbers as long as possible.
29260 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
29261 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
29262 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
29264 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
29267 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
29270 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
29271 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
29272 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
29273 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
29274 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
29275 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
29279 @node Required Back End Functions
29280 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
29284 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
29286 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
29287 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
29288 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
29289 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
29291 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
29292 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
29293 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
29294 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
29296 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
29297 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
29298 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
29299 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
29300 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
29301 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
29302 number, do maximum fetches.
29304 Here's an example HEAD:
29307 221 1056 Article retrieved.
29308 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
29309 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
29310 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
29311 Subject: Re: Something very droll
29312 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
29313 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
29315 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
29316 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
29317 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
29321 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
29322 these in the data buffer.
29324 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
29328 head = error / valid-head
29329 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
29330 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
29331 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
29332 header = <text> eol
29336 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
29338 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
29339 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
29343 nov-buffer = *nov-line
29344 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
29345 field = <text except TAB>
29348 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
29352 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
29354 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
29355 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
29357 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
29358 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
29359 server. In fact, it should do so.
29361 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
29362 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
29365 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
29367 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
29368 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
29371 There should be no data returned.
29374 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
29376 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
29377 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
29378 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
29379 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
29381 There should be no data returned.
29384 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
29386 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
29387 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
29388 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
29389 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
29391 There should be no data returned.
29394 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
29396 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
29398 There should be no data returned.
29401 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
29403 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
29404 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
29405 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
29406 it would be nice if that were possible.
29408 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
29409 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
29410 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
29411 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
29412 into its article buffer.
29414 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
29415 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
29416 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
29417 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
29418 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
29419 on successful article retrieval.
29422 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST INFO)
29424 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
29425 making @var{group} the current group.
29427 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
29430 If @var{info}, it allows the backend to update the group info
29433 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
29436 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
29439 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
29440 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
29441 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
29442 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
29443 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
29444 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
29445 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
29446 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
29447 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
29451 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
29452 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
29453 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
29457 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29459 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
29460 a no-op on most back ends.
29462 There should be no data returned.
29465 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
29467 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
29470 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
29473 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
29474 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
29477 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
29478 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
29479 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
29480 and the highest as 0.
29483 active-file = *active-line
29484 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
29486 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
29489 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
29490 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
29491 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
29494 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
29496 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
29497 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
29498 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
29499 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
29500 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
29501 clear if the posting could not be completed.
29503 There should be no result data from this function.
29508 @node Optional Back End Functions
29509 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
29513 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
29515 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
29516 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
29517 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
29519 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
29520 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
29521 former is in the same format as the data from
29522 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
29523 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
29526 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
29530 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29532 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29533 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29534 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29535 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29536 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29537 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29538 the network resources).
29540 There should be no result data from this function.
29543 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29545 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29546 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29547 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29548 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29549 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29550 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29551 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29552 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29554 There should be no result data from this function.
29557 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29559 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29560 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29561 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29562 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29563 propagate the mark information to the server.
29565 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29568 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29571 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29572 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29573 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29574 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29575 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29576 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
29577 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
29578 possible, not limit itself to these.
29580 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29581 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29582 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29583 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29585 An example action list:
29588 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29589 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29590 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29593 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29594 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29596 There should be no result data from this function.
29598 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29600 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29601 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29602 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29603 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29604 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29606 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29607 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29608 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29611 There should be no result data from this function.
29614 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29616 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29617 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29618 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29619 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29620 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29621 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29622 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29623 local if that's practical.
29625 There should be no result data from this function.
29628 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29630 The result data from this function should be a description of
29634 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29636 description = <text>
29639 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29641 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29642 groups available on the server.
29645 description-buffer = *description-line
29649 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29651 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29652 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29653 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29654 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29655 in the active buffer format.
29657 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29658 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29659 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29660 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29661 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29662 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29663 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29666 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29668 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29670 There should be no return data.
29673 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29675 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29676 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29677 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29678 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29679 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29682 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29685 There should be no result data returned.
29688 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29690 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29691 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29693 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29694 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
29695 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
29696 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
29697 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
29698 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
29700 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
29701 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29704 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29705 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29707 There should be no data returned.
29710 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29712 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29713 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29714 this function in short order.
29716 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29717 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29719 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29720 article for that group.
29722 There should be no data returned.
29725 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29727 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29728 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29730 There should be no data returned.
29733 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29735 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29736 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29737 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29739 There should be no data returned.
29742 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
29744 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
29745 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
29747 There should be no data returned.
29752 @node Error Messaging
29753 @subsubsection Error Messaging
29755 @findex nnheader-report
29756 @findex nnheader-get-report
29757 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
29758 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
29759 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
29760 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
29761 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
29762 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
29765 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
29767 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
29770 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
29771 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
29772 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
29773 takes one argument---the server symbol.
29775 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
29776 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
29777 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
29780 @node Writing New Back Ends
29781 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
29783 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
29784 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
29785 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
29786 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
29787 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
29790 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
29791 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
29792 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
29794 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
29795 package called @code{nnoo}.
29797 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
29798 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
29804 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
29805 parameters. For instance:
29808 (nnoo-declare nndir
29812 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
29813 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
29816 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
29817 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
29818 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
29820 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
29821 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
29822 a function in those back ends.
29825 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29826 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29827 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29830 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
29831 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
29832 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
29834 @item nnoo-define-basics
29835 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
29839 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29843 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
29844 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
29845 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
29847 @item nnoo-map-functions
29848 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
29849 functions from the parent back ends.
29852 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29853 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29854 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
29857 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
29858 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
29859 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
29860 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
29863 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
29864 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
29865 haven't already been defined.
29871 nnmh-request-newgroups)
29875 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
29876 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
29877 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
29882 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
29885 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
29886 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
29890 (require 'nnheader)
29894 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
29896 (nnoo-declare nndir
29899 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29900 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29901 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29903 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
29904 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
29907 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
29909 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
29910 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
29911 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
29913 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
29914 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
29916 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
29918 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29920 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
29921 (setq nndir-directory
29922 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
29924 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
29925 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
29926 (push `(nndir-current-group
29927 ,(file-name-nondirectory
29928 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29930 (push `(nndir-top-directory
29931 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29933 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
29935 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29936 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29937 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29938 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
29939 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
29943 nnmh-status-message
29945 nnmh-request-newgroups))
29951 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29952 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29954 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
29955 @findex gnus-declare-backend
29956 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
29957 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
29958 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
29960 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
29961 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
29966 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
29969 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
29971 The abilities can be:
29975 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
29977 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
29979 This back end supports both mail and news.
29981 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
29984 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
29985 articles and groups.
29987 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
29988 true for almost all back ends.
29989 @item prompt-address
29990 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
29991 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
29992 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
29996 @node Mail-like Back Ends
29997 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
29999 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
30000 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
30001 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
30002 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
30005 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
30006 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
30007 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
30010 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
30011 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
30014 This function takes four parameters.
30018 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
30021 @item exit-function
30022 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
30024 @item temp-directory
30025 Where the temporary files should be stored.
30028 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
30029 performed for one group only.
30032 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
30033 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
30034 find the article number assigned to this article.
30036 The function also uses the following variables:
30037 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
30038 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
30039 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
30040 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
30044 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
30045 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
30049 @node Score File Syntax
30050 @subsection Score File Syntax
30052 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
30053 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
30054 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
30056 Here's a typical score file:
30060 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
30067 BNF definition of a score file:
30070 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
30071 element = rule / atom
30072 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
30073 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
30074 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
30075 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
30077 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
30078 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
30079 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
30080 date-header = "date"
30081 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30082 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30083 score = "nil" / <integer>
30084 date = "nil" / <natural number>
30085 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
30086 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
30087 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
30088 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
30089 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30090 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30091 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
30092 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30093 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
30094 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
30095 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
30096 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
30097 exclude-files / read-only / touched
30098 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
30099 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
30100 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
30101 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
30102 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
30103 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
30104 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
30105 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
30106 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
30107 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
30108 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
30109 eval = "eval" space <form>
30110 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
30113 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
30116 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
30117 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
30118 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
30119 one looong line, then that's ok.
30121 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
30122 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
30126 @subsection Headers
30128 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
30129 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
30130 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
30131 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
30133 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
30134 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
30135 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
30136 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
30137 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
30138 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
30139 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
30141 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
30142 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
30143 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
30144 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
30145 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
30147 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
30148 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
30154 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
30155 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
30157 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
30158 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
30159 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
30160 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
30162 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
30166 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
30169 is transformed into
30172 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
30175 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
30176 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
30179 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
30182 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
30183 is slightly tricky:
30186 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
30192 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
30195 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
30201 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
30208 and is equal to the previous range.
30210 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
30211 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
30212 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
30216 range = simple-range / normal-range
30217 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
30218 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
30219 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
30220 number *[ " " contents ]
30223 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
30224 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
30225 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
30226 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
30227 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
30232 @subsection Group Info
30234 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
30235 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
30236 describes the group.
30238 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
30239 second is a more complex one:
30242 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
30244 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
30245 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
30247 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
30250 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
30251 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
30252 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
30253 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
30254 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
30255 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
30256 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
30257 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
30258 this section is about.
30260 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
30261 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
30262 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
30264 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
30267 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
30268 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
30269 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30270 group = quote <string> quote
30271 ralevel = rank / level
30272 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30273 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
30274 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30276 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
30277 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
30278 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
30279 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
30282 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
30283 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
30286 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
30287 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
30290 @item gnus-info-group
30291 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
30292 @findex gnus-info-group
30293 @findex gnus-info-set-group
30294 Get/set the group name.
30296 @item gnus-info-rank
30297 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
30298 @findex gnus-info-rank
30299 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
30300 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
30302 @item gnus-info-level
30303 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
30304 @findex gnus-info-level
30305 @findex gnus-info-set-level
30306 Get/set the group level.
30308 @item gnus-info-score
30309 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
30310 @findex gnus-info-score
30311 @findex gnus-info-set-score
30312 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
30314 @item gnus-info-read
30315 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
30316 @findex gnus-info-read
30317 @findex gnus-info-set-read
30318 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
30320 @item gnus-info-marks
30321 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
30322 @findex gnus-info-marks
30323 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
30324 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
30326 @item gnus-info-method
30327 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
30328 @findex gnus-info-method
30329 @findex gnus-info-set-method
30330 Get/set the group select method.
30332 @item gnus-info-params
30333 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
30334 @findex gnus-info-params
30335 @findex gnus-info-set-params
30336 Get/set the group parameters.
30339 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
30340 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
30342 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
30343 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
30344 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
30345 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
30348 @node Extended Interactive
30349 @subsection Extended Interactive
30350 @cindex interactive
30351 @findex gnus-interactive
30353 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
30354 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
30355 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
30358 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
30359 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
30364 The best thing to do would have been to implement
30365 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
30366 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
30367 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
30368 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
30369 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
30370 @code{interactive}.
30372 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
30377 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
30378 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
30382 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
30383 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
30384 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
30387 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
30391 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
30395 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
30401 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
30402 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
30406 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
30407 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
30408 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
30410 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
30411 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
30412 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
30413 Gnus, that's very useful.
30415 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
30416 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
30417 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
30418 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
30419 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
30420 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
30421 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
30422 following function:
30425 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
30429 (,function ,@@args))
30433 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
30434 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
30435 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
30438 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
30439 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
30440 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
30442 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
30443 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
30444 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
30447 @node Various File Formats
30448 @subsection Various File Formats
30451 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
30452 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
30456 @node Active File Format
30457 @subsubsection Active File Format
30459 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
30460 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
30463 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
30466 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
30467 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
30468 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
30469 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
30470 no.general 1000 900 y
30473 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
30476 active = *group-line
30477 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
30478 group = <non-white-space string>
30480 high-number = <non-negative integer>
30481 low-number = <positive integer>
30482 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
30485 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
30486 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
30489 @node Newsgroups File Format
30490 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
30492 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
30493 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
30494 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
30497 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
30498 Here's the definition:
30502 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
30503 group = <non-white-space string>
30505 description = <string>
30510 @node Emacs for Heathens
30511 @section Emacs for Heathens
30513 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
30514 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
30515 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
30516 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
30517 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
30518 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
30519 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
30523 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
30524 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
30529 @subsection Keystrokes
30533 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30536 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30539 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30540 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30541 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30542 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30543 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30544 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30546 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30547 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30548 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30549 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30550 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30551 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30552 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30554 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30555 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30556 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30557 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30558 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30559 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30560 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30562 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30563 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30564 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30565 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30566 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30572 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30574 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30575 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30576 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30577 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30579 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30580 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30581 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30582 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30583 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30584 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30585 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30586 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30587 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30588 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30590 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30591 write the following:
30594 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30597 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30598 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30599 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30600 change how Gnus works.
30602 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30603 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30604 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30605 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30606 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30608 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30609 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30610 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30614 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30618 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30621 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server-file} to
30622 @samp{/etc/nntpserver}'', that means:
30625 (setq gnus-nntp-server-file "/etc/nntpserver")
30628 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30629 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30632 @include gnus-faq.texi
30634 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30635 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30636 @include doclicense.texi
30654 @c Local Variables:
30656 @c coding: iso-8859-1