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4 @settitle Gnus 5.6.27 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The news reader Gnus.
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262 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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271 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
273 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
274 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
275 are preserved on all copies.
277 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
278 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
279 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
280 permission notice identical to this one.
282 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
283 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
292 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
294 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
296 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
297 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
298 are preserved on all copies.
301 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
302 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
303 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
304 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
308 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
309 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
310 permission notice identical to this one.
312 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
313 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
319 @title Gnus 5.6.27 Manual
321 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
324 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
325 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
327 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
328 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
329 are preserved on all copies.
331 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
332 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
333 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
334 permission notice identical to this one.
336 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
337 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
346 @top The Gnus Newsreader
350 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
351 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
352 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
355 This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.6.27.
366 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
367 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
369 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
370 being accused of plagiarism:
372 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
373 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
374 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
375 even read news with it!
377 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
378 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
379 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
380 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
381 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
389 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
390 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
391 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
392 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
393 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
394 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
395 * Various:: General purpose settings.
396 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
397 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
398 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
399 * Key Index:: Key Index.
403 @chapter Starting Gnus
408 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
409 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
412 @findex gnus-other-frame
413 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
414 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
415 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
417 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
418 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
419 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
421 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
422 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
425 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
426 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
427 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
428 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
429 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
430 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
431 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
432 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
433 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
434 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
435 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
439 @node Finding the News
440 @section Finding the News
443 @vindex gnus-select-method
445 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
446 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
447 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
448 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
451 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
452 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
455 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
458 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
461 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
464 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
465 certainly be much faster.
467 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
469 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
470 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
471 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
472 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
473 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
474 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
476 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
477 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
478 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
479 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
481 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
482 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
483 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
484 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
485 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
486 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
488 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
490 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
491 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
492 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
493 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
494 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
495 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
497 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
499 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
500 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
501 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
502 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
503 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
504 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
507 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
508 would typically set this variable to
511 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
516 @section The First Time
517 @cindex first time usage
519 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
520 be subscribed by default.
522 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
523 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
524 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
525 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
528 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
529 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
530 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
532 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
533 help you with most common problems.
535 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
536 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
540 @node The Server is Down
541 @section The Server is Down
542 @cindex server errors
544 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
545 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
546 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
548 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
549 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
550 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
551 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
552 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
553 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
554 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
556 @findex gnus-no-server
557 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
559 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
560 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
561 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
562 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
563 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
564 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
569 @section Slave Gnusae
572 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
573 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
574 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
575 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
577 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
580 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
581 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
582 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
583 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
584 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
585 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
586 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
588 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
589 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
590 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
591 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
592 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
593 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
594 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
595 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
597 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
598 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
601 @node Fetching a Group
602 @section Fetching a Group
603 @cindex fetching a group
605 @findex gnus-fetch-group
606 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
607 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
608 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
609 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
610 It takes the group name as a parameter.
618 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
619 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
620 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
621 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
622 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
623 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
624 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
625 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
626 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
629 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
630 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
631 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
635 @node Checking New Groups
636 @subsection Checking New Groups
638 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
639 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
640 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
641 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
642 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
643 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
644 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
645 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
646 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
647 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
649 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
650 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
651 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
652 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
653 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
654 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
655 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
656 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
657 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
658 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
659 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
661 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
662 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
663 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
664 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
665 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
666 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
669 @node Subscription Methods
670 @subsection Subscription Methods
672 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
673 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
674 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
676 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
677 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
679 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
683 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
684 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
685 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
686 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
687 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
689 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
690 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
691 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
692 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
694 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
695 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
696 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
698 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
699 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
700 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
701 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
702 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
703 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
704 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
705 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
706 up. Or something like that.
708 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
709 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
710 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
711 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
712 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
714 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
715 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
720 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
721 A closely related variable is
722 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
723 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
724 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
725 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
728 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
729 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
730 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
731 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
734 @node Filtering New Groups
735 @subsection Filtering New Groups
737 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
738 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
739 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
742 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
745 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
746 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
747 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
748 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
749 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
750 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
751 subscribing these groups.
752 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
753 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
755 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
756 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
757 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
758 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
759 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
760 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
761 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
762 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
764 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
765 Yet another variable that meddles here is
766 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
767 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
768 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
769 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
770 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
771 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
772 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
773 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
775 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
776 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
779 @node Changing Servers
780 @section Changing Servers
781 @cindex changing servers
783 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
784 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
785 very flaky and you want to use another.
787 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
788 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
792 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
793 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
794 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
795 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
798 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
799 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
800 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
801 functions more than absolutely necessary.
803 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
804 @findex gnus-change-server
805 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
806 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
807 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
808 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
809 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
811 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
812 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
813 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
814 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
815 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
817 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
818 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
819 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
820 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
821 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
822 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
826 @section Startup Files
827 @cindex startup files
832 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
833 information is traditionally stored in this file.
835 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
836 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
837 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
838 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
839 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
840 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
841 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
843 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
844 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
845 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
846 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
847 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
848 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
850 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
851 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
852 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
853 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
854 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
855 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
857 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
858 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
859 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
860 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
861 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
862 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
863 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
864 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
865 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
866 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
867 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
868 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
870 @vindex gnus-startup-file
871 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
872 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
873 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
875 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
876 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
877 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
878 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
879 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
880 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
881 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
882 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
883 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
884 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
887 (defun turn-off-backup ()
888 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
890 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
891 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
894 @vindex gnus-init-file
895 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
896 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
897 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
898 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
899 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
900 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
901 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
902 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
903 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
912 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
913 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
914 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
915 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
916 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
919 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
920 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
923 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
924 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
925 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
927 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
928 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
929 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
930 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
931 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
932 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
934 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
935 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
936 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
939 @node The Active File
940 @section The Active File
942 @cindex ignored groups
944 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
945 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
946 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
948 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
949 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
950 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
951 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
952 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
953 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
954 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
957 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
958 @c if you set it to anything else.
960 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
962 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
963 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
964 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
966 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
967 you actually subscribe to.
969 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
970 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
971 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
972 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
974 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
975 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
976 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
977 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
978 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
979 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
981 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
982 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
983 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
984 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
985 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
986 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
988 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
989 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
991 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
992 secondary select methods.
995 @node Startup Variables
996 @section Startup Variables
1000 @item gnus-load-hook
1001 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1002 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1003 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1004 times you start Gnus.
1006 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1007 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1008 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1010 @item gnus-startup-hook
1011 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1012 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1014 @item gnus-started-hook
1015 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1016 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1019 @item gnus-started-hook
1020 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1021 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1022 generating the group buffer.
1024 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1025 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1026 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1027 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1028 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1029 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1030 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1031 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1033 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1034 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1035 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1036 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1037 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1038 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1040 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1041 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1042 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1044 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1045 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1046 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1048 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1049 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1050 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1051 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1056 @node The Group Buffer
1057 @chapter The Group Buffer
1058 @cindex group buffer
1060 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1061 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1062 long as Gnus is active.
1066 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1067 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1068 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1069 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1070 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1071 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1072 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1073 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1079 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1080 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1081 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1082 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1083 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1084 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1085 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1086 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1087 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1088 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1089 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1090 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1091 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1092 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1093 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1094 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1095 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1099 @node Group Buffer Format
1100 @section Group Buffer Format
1103 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1104 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1105 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1109 @node Group Line Specification
1110 @subsection Group Line Specification
1111 @cindex group buffer format
1113 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1114 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1116 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1119 25: news.announce.newusers
1120 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1125 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1126 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1127 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1128 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1130 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1131 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1132 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1133 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1134 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1135 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1137 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1139 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1140 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1141 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1142 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1145 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1146 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1147 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1149 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1154 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1157 Whether the group is subscribed.
1160 Level of subscribedness.
1163 Number of unread articles.
1166 Number of dormant articles.
1169 Number of ticked articles.
1172 Number of read articles.
1175 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1176 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1179 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1182 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1191 Newsgroup description.
1194 @samp{m} if moderated.
1197 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1206 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1210 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1213 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1214 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1215 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1216 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1217 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1220 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1222 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1226 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1230 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1231 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1232 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1233 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1234 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1235 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1240 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1241 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1242 group, or a bogus native group.
1245 @node Group Modeline Specification
1246 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1247 @cindex group modeline
1249 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1250 The mode line can be changed by setting
1251 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1252 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1256 The native news server.
1258 The native select method.
1262 @node Group Highlighting
1263 @subsection Group Highlighting
1264 @cindex highlighting
1265 @cindex group highlighting
1267 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1268 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1269 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1270 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1271 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1273 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1277 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1278 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1279 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1280 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1281 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1283 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1284 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1285 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1286 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1287 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1288 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1291 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1293 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1300 The number of unread articles in the group.
1304 Whether the group is a mail group.
1306 The level of the group.
1308 The score of the group.
1310 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1312 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1313 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1315 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1316 topic being inserted.
1319 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1320 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1321 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1323 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1324 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1325 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1326 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1327 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1330 @node Group Maneuvering
1331 @section Group Maneuvering
1332 @cindex group movement
1334 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1335 expected, hopefully.
1341 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1342 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1343 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1349 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1350 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1351 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1355 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1356 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1360 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1361 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1365 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1366 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1367 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1371 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1372 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1373 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1376 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1382 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1383 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1384 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1389 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1390 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1391 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1395 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1396 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1397 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1400 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1401 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1402 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1403 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1407 @node Selecting a Group
1408 @section Selecting a Group
1409 @cindex group selection
1414 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1415 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1416 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1417 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1418 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1419 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1420 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1421 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1422 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1423 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1427 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1428 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1429 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1430 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1431 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1435 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1436 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1437 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1438 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1439 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1440 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1441 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1442 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1443 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1444 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1447 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1448 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1449 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1450 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1451 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1454 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1455 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1456 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1457 doing any processing of its contents
1458 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1459 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1460 manner will have no permanent effects.
1464 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1465 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1466 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1467 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1468 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1469 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1470 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1471 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1474 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1475 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1476 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1477 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1482 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1483 full summary buffer.
1486 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1489 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1493 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1494 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1495 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1499 @node Subscription Commands
1500 @section Subscription Commands
1501 @cindex subscription
1509 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1510 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1511 Toggle subscription to the current group
1512 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1518 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1519 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1520 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1521 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1527 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1528 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1529 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1535 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1536 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1539 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1540 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1541 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1542 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1543 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1549 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1550 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1554 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1555 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1558 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1559 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1560 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1561 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1562 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1563 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1564 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1565 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1566 @file{.newsrc} file.
1570 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1580 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1581 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1582 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1583 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1584 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1585 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1590 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1591 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1592 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1596 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1597 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1598 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1600 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1601 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1602 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1603 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1604 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1605 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1612 @section Group Levels
1616 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1617 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1618 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1619 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1620 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1622 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1628 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1629 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1630 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1631 prompted for a level.
1634 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1635 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1636 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1637 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1638 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1639 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1640 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1641 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1642 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1643 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1644 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1645 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1646 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1647 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1648 reasons of efficiency.
1650 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1651 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1653 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1654 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1655 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1657 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1658 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1659 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1660 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1661 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1662 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1663 relevant valid ranges.
1665 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1666 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1667 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1668 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1669 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1670 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1673 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1674 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1675 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1678 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1679 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1680 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1681 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1684 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1685 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1686 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1687 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1689 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1690 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1691 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1692 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1693 to 5. The default is 6.
1697 @section Group Score
1702 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1703 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1704 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1707 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1708 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1709 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1710 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1711 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1712 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1713 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1715 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1716 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1717 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1718 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1719 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1720 action after each summary exit, you can add
1721 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1722 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1723 slow things down somewhat.
1726 @node Marking Groups
1727 @section Marking Groups
1728 @cindex marking groups
1730 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1731 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1732 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1733 bidding on those groups.
1735 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1736 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1737 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1745 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1746 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1752 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1753 Remove the mark from the current group
1754 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1758 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1759 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1763 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1764 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1768 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1769 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1773 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1774 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1775 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1778 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1780 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1781 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1782 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1783 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1784 the command to be executed.
1787 @node Foreign Groups
1788 @section Foreign Groups
1789 @cindex foreign groups
1791 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1792 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1793 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1794 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1801 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1802 @cindex making groups
1803 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1804 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1805 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1809 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1810 @cindex renaming groups
1811 Rename the current group to something else
1812 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1813 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1819 @findex gnus-group-customize
1820 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1824 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1825 @cindex renaming groups
1826 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1827 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1831 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1832 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1833 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1837 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1838 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1839 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1843 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1845 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1846 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1851 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1852 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1856 @cindex (ding) archive
1857 @cindex archive group
1858 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1859 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1860 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1861 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1862 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1863 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1864 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1868 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1870 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1871 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1872 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1873 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1877 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1879 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1880 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1881 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1885 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1886 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1888 Make a group based on some file or other
1889 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1890 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1891 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1892 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1893 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1894 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1895 @xref{Document Groups}.
1899 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1904 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1905 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1906 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1907 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1908 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1909 @xref{Web Searches}.
1911 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1912 to a particular group by using a match string like
1913 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1916 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1917 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1918 This function will delete the current group
1919 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1920 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1921 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1922 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1923 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1927 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1928 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1929 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1933 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1934 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1935 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1938 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1941 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1942 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1943 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1944 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1945 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1946 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1950 @node Group Parameters
1951 @section Group Parameters
1952 @cindex group parameters
1954 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1955 Here's an example group parameter list:
1958 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1962 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
1963 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
1964 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
1965 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
1967 The following group parameters can be used:
1972 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
1975 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
1978 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
1979 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
1980 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
1981 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
1982 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
1984 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1985 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1986 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1987 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1988 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1989 list address instead.
1993 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
1996 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
1999 It is totally ignored
2000 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2001 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2003 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2004 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2005 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2006 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2007 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2009 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2010 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2011 sending the message.
2015 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2016 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2017 of whether it has any unread articles.
2019 @item broken-reply-to
2020 @cindex broken-reply-to
2021 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2022 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2023 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2024 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2025 broken behavior. So there!
2029 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2030 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2034 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2035 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2036 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2041 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2042 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2043 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2044 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2045 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2046 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2047 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2051 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2052 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2053 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2056 @cindex total-expire
2057 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2058 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2059 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2060 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2065 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2066 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2067 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2068 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2069 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2070 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2073 @cindex score file group parameter
2074 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2075 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2076 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2079 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2080 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2081 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2082 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2085 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2086 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2087 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2088 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2091 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2092 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2096 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2099 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2104 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2105 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2106 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2109 @item @var{(variable form)}
2110 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2111 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2112 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2113 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2114 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2115 @code{eval}ed there.
2117 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2118 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2119 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2120 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2121 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2125 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2126 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2130 @node Listing Groups
2131 @section Listing Groups
2132 @cindex group listing
2134 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2142 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2143 List all groups that have unread articles
2144 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2145 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2146 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2147 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2154 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2155 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2156 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2157 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2158 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2159 unsubscribed groups).
2163 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2164 List all unread groups on a specific level
2165 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2166 with no unread articles.
2170 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2171 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2172 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2173 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2178 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2179 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2183 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2184 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2185 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2189 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2190 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2194 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2195 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2196 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2197 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2198 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2199 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2200 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2201 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2205 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2206 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2207 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2211 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2212 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2213 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2217 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2218 @cindex visible group parameter
2219 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2220 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2221 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2222 get the same effect.
2224 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2225 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2226 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2227 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2228 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2231 @node Sorting Groups
2232 @section Sorting Groups
2233 @cindex sorting groups
2235 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2236 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2237 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2238 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2239 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2240 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2245 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2246 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2247 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2249 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2250 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2251 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2253 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2254 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2255 Sort by group level.
2257 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2258 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2259 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2261 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2262 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2263 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2264 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2266 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2267 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2268 Sort by number of unread articles.
2270 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2271 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2272 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2277 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2278 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2282 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2283 some sorting criteria:
2287 @kindex G S a (Group)
2288 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2289 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2290 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2293 @kindex G S u (Group)
2294 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2295 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2296 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2299 @kindex G S l (Group)
2300 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2301 Sort the group buffer by group level
2302 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2305 @kindex G S v (Group)
2306 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2307 Sort the group buffer by group score
2308 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2311 @kindex G S r (Group)
2312 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2313 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2314 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2317 @kindex G S m (Group)
2318 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2319 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2320 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2324 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2326 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2330 @kindex G P a (Group)
2331 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2332 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2333 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2336 @kindex G P u (Group)
2337 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2338 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2339 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2342 @kindex G P l (Group)
2343 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2344 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2345 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2348 @kindex G P v (Group)
2349 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2350 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2351 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2354 @kindex G P r (Group)
2355 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2356 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2357 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2360 @kindex G P m (Group)
2361 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2362 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2363 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2369 @node Group Maintenance
2370 @section Group Maintenance
2371 @cindex bogus groups
2376 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2377 Find bogus groups and delete them
2378 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2382 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2383 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2384 If given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2388 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2389 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2390 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2391 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2394 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2395 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2396 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2397 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2402 @node Browse Foreign Server
2403 @section Browse Foreign Server
2404 @cindex foreign servers
2405 @cindex browsing servers
2410 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2411 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2412 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2413 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2416 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2417 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2418 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2419 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2421 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2426 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2427 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2431 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2432 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2435 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2436 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2437 Enter the current group and display the first article
2438 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2441 @kindex RET (Browse)
2442 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2443 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2447 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2448 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2449 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2455 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2456 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2460 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2461 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2462 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2467 @section Exiting Gnus
2468 @cindex exiting Gnus
2470 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2475 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2476 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2477 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2478 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2482 @findex gnus-group-exit
2483 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2484 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2488 @findex gnus-group-quit
2489 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2490 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2493 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2494 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2495 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2496 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2497 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2502 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2503 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2504 trying to customize meta-variables.
2509 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2510 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2511 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2517 @section Group Topics
2520 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2521 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2522 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2523 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2524 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2525 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2529 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2530 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2541 2: alt.religion.emacs
2544 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2546 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2547 13: comp.sources.unix
2550 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2552 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2553 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2554 is a toggling command.)
2556 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2557 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2558 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2559 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2562 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2563 the hook for the group mode:
2566 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2570 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2571 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2572 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2573 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2574 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2578 @node Topic Variables
2579 @subsection Topic Variables
2580 @cindex topic variables
2582 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2583 really neat, I think.
2585 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2586 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2587 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2600 Number of groups in the topic.
2602 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2604 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2607 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2608 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2609 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2612 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2613 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2615 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2616 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2617 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2620 @node Topic Commands
2621 @subsection Topic Commands
2622 @cindex topic commands
2624 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2625 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2626 definitions slightly.
2632 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2633 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2634 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2638 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2639 Move the current group to some other topic
2640 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2641 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2645 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2646 Copy the current group to some other topic
2647 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2648 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2652 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2653 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2654 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2655 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2656 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2657 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2658 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2661 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2662 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2666 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2667 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2668 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2672 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2673 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2674 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2678 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2679 Toggle hiding empty topics
2680 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2684 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2685 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2686 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2689 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2690 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2691 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2692 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2696 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2698 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2699 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2700 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2701 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2702 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2703 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2707 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2709 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2710 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2711 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2712 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2715 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2716 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2717 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2718 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2722 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2723 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2724 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2728 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2729 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2730 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2735 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2736 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2739 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2740 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2741 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2745 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2746 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2747 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2751 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2752 @cindex group parameters
2753 @cindex topic parameters
2755 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2756 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2762 @subsection Topic Sorting
2763 @cindex topic sorting
2765 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2771 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2772 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2773 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2774 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2777 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2778 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2779 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2780 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2783 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2784 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2785 Sort the current topic by group level
2786 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2789 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2790 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2791 Sort the current topic by group score
2792 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2795 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2796 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2797 Sort the current topic by group rank
2798 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2801 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2802 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2803 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2804 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2808 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2811 @node Topic Topology
2812 @subsection Topic Topology
2813 @cindex topic topology
2816 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2822 2: alt.religion.emacs
2825 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2827 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2828 13: comp.sources.unix
2831 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2832 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2833 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2838 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2839 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2843 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2844 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2845 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2846 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2847 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2848 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2850 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2851 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2852 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2855 @node Topic Parameters
2856 @subsection Topic Parameters
2857 @cindex topic parameters
2859 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2860 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2861 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2863 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2864 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2865 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2866 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2872 2: alt.religion.emacs
2876 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2878 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2879 13: comp.sources.unix
2883 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2884 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2885 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2886 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2887 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2888 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2890 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2891 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2892 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2893 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2894 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2896 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2897 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2898 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2899 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2900 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2901 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2902 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2903 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2906 @node Misc Group Stuff
2907 @section Misc Group Stuff
2910 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2911 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2912 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2913 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2920 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2921 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2922 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2926 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2927 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2928 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2932 @findex gnus-group-mail
2933 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2937 Variables for the group buffer:
2941 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2942 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2943 is called after the group buffer has been
2946 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2947 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2948 is called after the group buffer is
2949 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2952 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
2953 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2954 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
2955 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
2957 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2958 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2959 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2960 whether they are empty or not.
2965 @node Scanning New Messages
2966 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2967 @cindex new messages
2968 @cindex scanning new news
2974 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2975 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
2976 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2977 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2978 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2979 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
2984 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2985 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2986 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
2987 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2988 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2989 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2990 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2992 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2993 @cindex activating groups
2995 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2996 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3001 @findex gnus-group-restart
3002 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3003 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3004 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3008 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3009 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3011 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3012 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3016 @node Group Information
3017 @subsection Group Information
3018 @cindex group information
3019 @cindex information on groups
3026 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3027 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3030 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3031 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3032 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3033 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3034 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3035 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3036 for fetching the file.
3038 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3039 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3043 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3045 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3046 @cindex describing groups
3047 @cindex group description
3048 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3049 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3050 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3054 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3055 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3056 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3063 @findex gnus-version
3064 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3068 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3069 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3072 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3075 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3076 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3080 @node Group Timestamp
3081 @subsection Group Timestamp
3083 @cindex group timestamps
3085 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3086 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3087 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3090 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3093 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3095 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3096 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3099 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3100 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3103 This will result in lines looking like:
3106 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3107 0: custom 19961002T012713
3110 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3111 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3115 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3116 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3121 @subsection File Commands
3122 @cindex file commands
3128 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3129 @vindex gnus-init-file
3130 @cindex reading init file
3131 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3132 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3136 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3137 @cindex saving .newsrc
3138 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3139 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3140 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3143 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3144 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3145 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3150 @node The Summary Buffer
3151 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3152 @cindex summary buffer
3154 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3155 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3157 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3158 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3160 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3163 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3164 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3165 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3166 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3167 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3168 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3169 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3170 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3171 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3172 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3173 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3174 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3175 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3176 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3177 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3178 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3179 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3180 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3181 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3182 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3183 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3184 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3185 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3186 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3187 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3188 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3189 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3193 @node Summary Buffer Format
3194 @section Summary Buffer Format
3195 @cindex summary buffer format
3199 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3200 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3201 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3207 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3208 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3209 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3212 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3213 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3214 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3215 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3216 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3217 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3218 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3219 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3220 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3221 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3222 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3224 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3225 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3226 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3227 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3230 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3231 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3233 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3234 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3235 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3236 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3237 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3239 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3241 The following format specification characters are understood:
3249 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3250 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3251 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3253 Full @code{From} header.
3255 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3257 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3258 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3259 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3260 may be more thorough.
3262 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3265 Number of lines in the article.
3267 Number of characters in the article.
3269 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3271 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3272 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3274 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3275 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3277 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3278 for adopted articles.
3280 One space for each thread level.
3282 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3287 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3288 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3292 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3294 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3295 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3296 default level. If the difference between
3297 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3298 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3306 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3308 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3314 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3315 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3317 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3318 article has any children.
3324 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3325 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3326 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3327 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3328 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3329 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3332 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3333 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3334 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3335 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3336 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3337 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3339 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3340 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3342 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3345 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3346 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3348 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3349 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3350 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3351 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3353 Here are the elements you can play with:
3359 Unprefixed group name.
3361 Current article number.
3363 Current article score.
3367 Number of unread articles in this group.
3369 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3372 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3373 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3374 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3375 and no unselected ones.
3377 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3378 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3380 Subject of the current article.
3382 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3384 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3386 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3388 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3390 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3392 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3396 @node Summary Highlighting
3397 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3401 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3402 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3403 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3404 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3405 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3407 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3408 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3409 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3410 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3412 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3413 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3414 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3415 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3417 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3418 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3419 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3420 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3421 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3422 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3424 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3425 ((> score default) . bold))
3427 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3428 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3432 @node Summary Maneuvering
3433 @section Summary Maneuvering
3434 @cindex summary movement
3436 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3437 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3439 None of these commands select articles.
3444 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3445 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3446 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3447 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3448 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3452 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3453 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3454 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3455 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3456 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3461 @kindex G j (Summary)
3462 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3463 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3464 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3467 @kindex G g (Summary)
3468 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3469 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3470 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3473 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3474 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3475 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3476 to the group buffer.
3478 Variables related to summary movement:
3482 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3483 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3484 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3485 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3486 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3487 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3488 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3489 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3490 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3491 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3492 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3493 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3494 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3495 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3497 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3498 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3499 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3500 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3501 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3502 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3503 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3505 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3506 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3507 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3508 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3509 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3511 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3512 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3513 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3514 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3515 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3516 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3517 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3518 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3524 @node Choosing Articles
3525 @section Choosing Articles
3526 @cindex selecting articles
3529 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3530 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3534 @node Choosing Commands
3535 @subsection Choosing Commands
3537 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3538 and they all select and display an article.
3542 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3543 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3544 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3545 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3550 @kindex G n (Summary)
3551 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3552 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3553 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3558 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3559 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3560 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3565 @kindex G N (Summary)
3566 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3567 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3572 @kindex G P (Summary)
3573 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3574 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3577 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3578 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3579 Go to the next article with the same subject
3580 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3583 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3584 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3585 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3586 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3590 @kindex G f (Summary)
3592 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3593 Go to the first unread article
3594 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3598 @kindex G b (Summary)
3600 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3601 Go to the article with the highest score
3602 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3607 @kindex G l (Summary)
3608 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3609 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3612 @kindex G o (Summary)
3613 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3615 @cindex article history
3616 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3617 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3618 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3619 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3620 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3621 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3625 @node Choosing Variables
3626 @subsection Choosing Variables
3628 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3631 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3632 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3633 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3634 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3635 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3636 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3638 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3639 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3640 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3641 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3643 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3644 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3645 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3646 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3647 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3648 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3649 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3650 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3651 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3652 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3653 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3654 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3655 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3656 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3661 @node Paging the Article
3662 @section Scrolling the Article
3663 @cindex article scrolling
3668 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3669 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3670 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3671 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3672 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3675 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3676 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3677 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3680 @kindex RET (Summary)
3681 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3682 Scroll the current article one line forward
3683 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3687 @kindex A g (Summary)
3689 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3690 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3691 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3692 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3693 the way it came from the server.
3698 @kindex A < (Summary)
3699 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3700 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3701 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3706 @kindex A > (Summary)
3707 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3708 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3712 @kindex A s (Summary)
3714 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3715 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3716 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3720 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3721 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3726 @node Reply Followup and Post
3727 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3730 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3731 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3735 @node Summary Mail Commands
3736 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3738 @cindex composing mail
3740 Commands for composing a mail message:
3746 @kindex S r (Summary)
3748 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3749 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3750 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3751 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3752 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3757 @kindex S R (Summary)
3758 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3759 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3760 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3761 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3762 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3765 @kindex S w (Summary)
3766 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3767 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3768 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3769 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3770 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3773 @kindex S W (Summary)
3774 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3775 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3776 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3777 the process/prefix convention.
3780 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3781 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3782 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3783 Forward the current article to some other person
3784 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3785 headers of the forwarded article.
3790 @kindex S m (Summary)
3791 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3792 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3793 Send a mail to some other person
3794 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3797 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3798 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3799 @cindex bouncing mail
3800 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3801 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3802 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3803 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3804 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3805 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3806 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3807 very well fail, though.
3810 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3811 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3812 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3813 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3814 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3815 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3816 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3817 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3818 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3819 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3821 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3822 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3823 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3824 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3825 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3827 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3828 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3831 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3832 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3833 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3834 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3835 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3838 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3839 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3840 @cindex crossposting
3841 @cindex excessive crossposting
3842 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3843 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3845 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3846 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3847 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3848 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3849 command understands the process/prefix convention
3850 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3854 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3857 @node Summary Post Commands
3858 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3860 @cindex composing news
3862 Commands for posting a news article:
3868 @kindex S p (Summary)
3869 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3870 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3871 Post an article to the current group
3872 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3877 @kindex S f (Summary)
3878 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3879 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3880 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3884 @kindex S F (Summary)
3886 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3887 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3888 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3889 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3890 process/prefix convention.
3893 @kindex S n (Summary)
3894 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3895 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3896 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3899 @kindex S N (Summary)
3900 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
3901 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3902 message through mail and include the original message
3903 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3904 the process/prefix convention.
3907 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3908 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3909 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3910 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3911 headers of the forwarded article.
3914 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3915 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3917 @cindex making digests
3918 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3919 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3920 process/prefix convention.
3923 @kindex S u (Summary)
3924 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3925 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3926 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3927 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3930 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3933 @node Canceling and Superseding
3934 @section Canceling Articles
3935 @cindex canceling articles
3936 @cindex superseding articles
3938 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3939 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3941 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3943 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3945 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3946 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3947 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3948 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3949 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3950 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3952 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3953 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3956 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
3957 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
3958 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
3960 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3961 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3962 your original article.
3964 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3966 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3967 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3968 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3971 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3972 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3973 have posted almost the same article twice.
3975 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3976 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3977 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3978 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3979 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3980 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3981 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3982 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3983 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3984 canceled/superseded.
3986 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3989 @node Marking Articles
3990 @section Marking Articles
3991 @cindex article marking
3992 @cindex article ticking
3995 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3997 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3998 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3999 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4001 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4004 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4005 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4006 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4010 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4014 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4015 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4019 @node Unread Articles
4020 @subsection Unread Articles
4022 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4027 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4028 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4030 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4031 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4032 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4033 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4034 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4038 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4039 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4041 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4042 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4043 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4046 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4047 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4049 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4054 @subsection Read Articles
4055 @cindex expirable mark
4057 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4062 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4063 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4064 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4067 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4068 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4071 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4072 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4073 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4076 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4077 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4080 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4081 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4084 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4085 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4088 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4089 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4092 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4093 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4096 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4097 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4100 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4101 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4105 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4106 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4107 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4111 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4112 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4114 One more special mark, though:
4118 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4119 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4121 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4122 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4123 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4124 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4130 @subsection Other Marks
4131 @cindex process mark
4134 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4140 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4141 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4142 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4143 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4144 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4147 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4148 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4149 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4150 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4153 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4154 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4155 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
4158 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4159 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4160 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4161 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4164 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4165 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4166 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4167 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4168 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4171 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4172 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4173 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4174 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4175 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4176 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4180 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4181 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4182 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4184 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4185 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4186 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4190 @subsection Setting Marks
4191 @cindex setting marks
4193 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4198 @kindex M c (Summary)
4199 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4200 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4201 @cindex mark as unread
4202 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4203 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4209 @kindex M t (Summary)
4210 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4211 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4212 @xref{Article Caching}
4217 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4218 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4219 Mark the current article as dormant
4220 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
4224 @kindex M d (Summary)
4226 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4227 Mark the current article as read
4228 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4232 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4233 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4234 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4239 @kindex M k (Summary)
4240 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4241 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4242 and then select the next unread article
4243 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4247 @kindex M K (Summary)
4248 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4249 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4250 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4251 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4254 @kindex M C (Summary)
4255 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4256 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4257 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4260 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4261 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4262 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4263 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4266 @kindex M H (Summary)
4267 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4268 Catchup the current group to point
4269 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4272 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4273 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4274 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4275 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4278 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4279 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4280 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4281 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4285 @kindex M e (Summary)
4287 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4288 Mark the current article as expirable
4289 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4292 @kindex M b (Summary)
4293 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4294 Set a bookmark in the current article
4295 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4298 @kindex M B (Summary)
4299 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4300 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4301 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4304 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4305 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4306 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4307 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4310 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4311 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4312 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4313 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4316 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4317 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4318 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4319 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4320 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4323 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4324 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4325 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4326 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4327 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4328 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4329 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4330 The default is @code{t}.
4333 @node Setting Process Marks
4334 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4335 @cindex setting process marks
4342 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4343 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4344 Mark the current article with the process mark
4345 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4346 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4350 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4351 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4352 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4353 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4356 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4357 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4358 Remove the process mark from all articles
4359 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4362 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4363 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4364 Invert the list of process marked articles
4365 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4368 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4369 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4370 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4371 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4374 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4375 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4376 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4379 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4380 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4381 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4382 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4385 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4387 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4388 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4391 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4392 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4393 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4394 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4397 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4398 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4399 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4402 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4404 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4405 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4408 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4409 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4410 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4413 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4414 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4415 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4416 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4419 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4420 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4421 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4422 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4425 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4426 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4427 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4428 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4431 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4432 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4433 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4434 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4443 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4444 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4445 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4448 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4449 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4450 additional articles.
4456 @kindex / / (Summary)
4457 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4458 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4459 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4462 @kindex / a (Summary)
4463 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4464 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4465 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4469 @kindex / u (Summary)
4471 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4472 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4473 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4474 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4475 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4478 @kindex / m (Summary)
4479 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4480 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4481 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4484 @kindex / t (Summary)
4485 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4486 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4487 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4488 articles younger than that number of days.
4491 @kindex / n (Summary)
4492 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4493 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4494 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4495 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4498 @kindex / w (Summary)
4499 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4500 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4501 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4505 @kindex / v (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4507 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4508 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4512 @kindex M S (Summary)
4513 @kindex / E (Summary)
4514 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4515 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4516 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4519 @kindex / D (Summary)
4520 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4521 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4522 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4525 @kindex / * (Summary)
4526 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4527 Include all cached articles in the limit
4528 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4531 @kindex / d (Summary)
4532 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4533 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4534 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4537 @kindex / T (Summary)
4538 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4539 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4542 @kindex / c (Summary)
4543 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4544 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4545 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4548 @kindex / C (Summary)
4549 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4550 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4551 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4552 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4560 @cindex article threading
4562 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4563 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4564 hierarchical fashion.
4566 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4567 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4568 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4569 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4570 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4571 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4572 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4574 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4578 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4581 A tree-like article structure.
4584 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4587 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4588 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4589 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4590 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4591 called loose threads.
4593 @item thread gathering
4594 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4596 @item sparse threads
4597 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4598 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4604 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4605 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4609 @node Customizing Threading
4610 @subsection Customizing Threading
4611 @cindex customizing threading
4614 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4615 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4616 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4617 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4622 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4625 @cindex loose threads
4628 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4629 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4630 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4631 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4632 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4633 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4635 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4636 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4637 There are four possible values:
4641 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4642 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4643 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4644 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4645 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4650 @cindex adopting articles
4655 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4656 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4657 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4658 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4661 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4662 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4663 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4664 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4665 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4666 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4667 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4670 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4671 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4672 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4676 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4677 display them after one another.
4680 Don't gather loose threads.
4683 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4684 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4685 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4686 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4687 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4688 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4689 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4690 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4691 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4692 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4693 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4695 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4696 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4697 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4700 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4701 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4702 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4703 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4704 simplification is used.
4706 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4707 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4708 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4709 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4711 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4713 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4719 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4720 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4721 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4722 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4727 (mapconcat 'identity
4728 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4730 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4733 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4736 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4737 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4738 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4739 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4740 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4741 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4743 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4746 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4747 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4748 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4750 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4751 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4754 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4755 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4756 Remove excessive whitespace.
4759 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4762 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4763 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4764 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4765 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4766 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4767 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4768 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4769 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4771 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4772 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4773 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4774 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4775 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4776 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4777 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4778 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4779 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4783 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4784 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4785 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4786 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4788 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4789 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4790 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4793 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4797 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4798 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4804 @node Filling In Threads
4805 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4808 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4809 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4810 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4811 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4812 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4813 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4814 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4815 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4816 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4817 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4818 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4819 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4821 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4822 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4823 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4825 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4826 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4827 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4828 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4829 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4830 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4831 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4832 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4833 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4834 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4835 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4836 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4837 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4838 @code{nil} by default.
4843 @node More Threading
4844 @subsubsection More Threading
4847 @item gnus-show-threads
4848 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4849 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4850 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4851 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4852 slower and more awkward.
4854 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4855 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4856 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4859 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4860 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4861 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4862 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4863 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4864 threads are expunged.
4866 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4867 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4868 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4871 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4872 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4873 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4874 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4875 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4878 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4879 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4880 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4886 @node Low-Level Threading
4887 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
4891 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4892 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4893 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
4894 @code{(gnus-decode-rfc1522)}, which means that QPized headers will be
4895 slightly decoded in a hackish way. This is likely to change in the
4896 future when Gnus becomes @sc{MIME}ified.
4898 @item gnus-alter-header-function
4899 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
4900 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
4901 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
4902 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
4903 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
4904 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
4905 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
4906 meaningful. Here's one example:
4909 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
4911 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
4912 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
4914 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
4916 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
4923 @node Thread Commands
4924 @subsection Thread Commands
4925 @cindex thread commands
4931 @kindex T k (Summary)
4932 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4933 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4934 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4935 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4936 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4941 @kindex T l (Summary)
4942 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4943 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4944 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4945 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4948 @kindex T i (Summary)
4949 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4950 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4951 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4954 @kindex T # (Summary)
4955 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4956 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4957 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4960 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4961 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4962 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4963 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4966 @kindex T T (Summary)
4967 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4968 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4971 @kindex T s (Summary)
4972 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4973 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4974 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4977 @kindex T h (Summary)
4978 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4979 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4982 @kindex T S (Summary)
4983 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4984 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4987 @kindex T H (Summary)
4988 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4989 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4992 @kindex T t (Summary)
4993 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4994 Re-thread the current article's thread
4995 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4996 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4999 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5000 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5001 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5002 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5006 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5007 understand the numeric prefix.
5012 @kindex T n (Summary)
5013 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5014 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5017 @kindex T p (Summary)
5018 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5019 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5022 @kindex T d (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5024 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5027 @kindex T u (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5029 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5032 @kindex T o (Summary)
5033 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5034 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5037 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5038 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5039 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5040 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5041 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5042 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5043 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5044 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5045 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5046 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5047 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5048 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5055 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5056 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5057 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5058 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5059 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5060 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5061 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5062 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5063 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
5064 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5065 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5066 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5067 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5068 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5070 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5071 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5072 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
5073 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
5074 in the list. You should probably always include
5075 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5076 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5077 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5078 ascending article order.
5080 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
5081 number, you could do something like:
5084 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5085 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5086 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5087 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
5090 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5091 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5092 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5093 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5094 which the articles arrived.
5096 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5100 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5102 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5103 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5106 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5107 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5108 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5109 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5112 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5113 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5114 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5115 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5116 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5117 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5118 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5119 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5120 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5121 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5122 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5123 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5124 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5126 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5130 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5131 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5132 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5137 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5138 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5139 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5140 @cindex article pre-fetch
5143 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5144 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5145 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5146 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5147 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5149 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5150 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5152 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5153 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5154 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5155 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5156 connection is blocked.
5158 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5159 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5160 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5161 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5163 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5164 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5165 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5166 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5169 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5172 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5173 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5174 happen automatically.
5176 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5177 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5178 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5179 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5180 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5181 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5182 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5184 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5185 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5186 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5187 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5188 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5189 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5190 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5191 data structure as the only parameter.
5193 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5196 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5197 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5198 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5199 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5202 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5205 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5206 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5207 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5209 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5210 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5211 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5212 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5216 Remove articles when they are read.
5219 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5222 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5224 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5225 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5226 from the next group.
5229 @node Article Caching
5230 @section Article Caching
5231 @cindex article caching
5234 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5235 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5236 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5237 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5238 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5240 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5242 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5243 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5244 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5245 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5246 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5247 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5248 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5249 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5251 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5252 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5253 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5254 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5255 as dormant, and don't worry.
5257 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5259 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5260 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5261 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5262 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5263 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5264 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5265 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5266 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5267 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5268 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5270 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5271 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5272 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5273 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5274 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5275 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5276 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5277 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5278 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5279 not then be downloaded by this command.
5281 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5282 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
5283 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5284 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5285 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
5286 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
5287 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
5290 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5291 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5292 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5293 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5294 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5295 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5296 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5297 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5298 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5302 @node Persistent Articles
5303 @section Persistent Articles
5304 @cindex persistent articles
5306 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5307 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5308 useful in my opinion.
5310 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5311 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5312 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5313 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5314 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5315 the expiry going on at the news server.
5317 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5318 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5319 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5325 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5326 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5329 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5330 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5331 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5332 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5336 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5338 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5339 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5340 interested in persistent articles:
5343 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5347 @node Article Backlog
5348 @section Article Backlog
5350 @cindex article backlog
5352 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5353 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5354 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5355 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5356 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5357 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5358 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5359 increase memory usage some.
5361 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5362 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5363 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5364 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5365 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5366 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5367 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5369 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5372 @node Saving Articles
5373 @section Saving Articles
5374 @cindex saving articles
5376 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5377 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5378 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5379 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5380 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5382 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5383 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5384 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5386 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5387 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5388 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5389 deleted before saving.
5395 @kindex O o (Summary)
5397 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5398 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5399 Save the current article using the default article saver
5400 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5403 @kindex O m (Summary)
5404 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5405 Save the current article in mail format
5406 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5409 @kindex O r (Summary)
5410 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5411 Save the current article in rmail format
5412 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5415 @kindex O f (Summary)
5416 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5417 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5418 Save the current article in plain file format
5419 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5422 @kindex O F (Summary)
5423 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5424 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5425 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5428 @kindex O b (Summary)
5429 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5430 Save the current article body in plain file format
5431 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5434 @kindex O h (Summary)
5435 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5436 Save the current article in mh folder format
5437 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5440 @kindex O v (Summary)
5441 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5442 Save the current article in a VM folder
5443 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5446 @kindex O p (Summary)
5447 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5448 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5449 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5452 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5453 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5454 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5455 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5456 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5457 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5458 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5459 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5460 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5461 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5462 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5463 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5467 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5468 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5469 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5470 functions below, or you can create your own.
5474 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5475 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5476 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5477 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5478 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5479 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5480 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5482 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5483 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5484 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5485 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5486 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5487 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5489 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5490 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5491 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5492 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5493 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5494 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5495 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5497 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5498 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5499 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5500 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5501 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5503 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5504 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5505 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5506 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5507 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5510 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5511 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5512 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5513 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5514 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5516 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5517 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5518 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5519 reader to use this setting.
5522 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5523 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5524 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5525 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5528 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5529 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5530 available functions that generate names:
5534 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5535 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5536 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5538 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5539 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5540 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5542 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5543 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5544 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5546 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5547 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5548 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5551 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5552 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5553 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5554 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5555 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5559 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5560 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5561 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5562 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5565 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5566 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5567 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5568 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5569 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5570 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5571 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5572 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5573 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5575 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5576 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5577 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5578 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5580 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5581 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5582 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5585 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5586 lots of mail groups called things like
5587 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5588 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5589 following will do just that:
5592 (defun my-save-name (group)
5593 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5594 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5596 (setq gnus-split-methods
5597 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5602 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5603 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5604 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5605 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5606 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5607 all the files in the top level directory
5608 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5609 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5610 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5611 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5613 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5614 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5615 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5616 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5617 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5620 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5624 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5625 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5628 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5629 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5630 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5631 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5634 @node Decoding Articles
5635 @section Decoding Articles
5636 @cindex decoding articles
5638 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5639 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5642 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5643 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5644 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5645 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5646 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5647 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5651 @cindex article series
5652 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5653 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5654 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5655 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5656 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5658 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5659 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5660 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5662 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5663 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5664 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5666 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5667 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5668 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5671 @node Uuencoded Articles
5672 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5674 @cindex uuencoded articles
5679 @kindex X u (Summary)
5680 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5681 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5682 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5685 @kindex X U (Summary)
5686 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5687 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5688 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5691 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5692 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5693 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5696 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5697 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5698 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5699 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5703 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5704 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5705 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5706 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5707 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5709 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5710 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5711 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5712 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5715 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5716 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5717 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5718 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5719 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5720 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5724 @node Shell Archives
5725 @subsection Shell Archives
5727 @cindex shell archives
5728 @cindex shared articles
5730 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5731 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5732 some commands to deal with these:
5737 @kindex X s (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5739 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5742 @kindex X S (Summary)
5743 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5744 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5747 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5748 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5749 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5752 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5753 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5754 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5755 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5759 @node PostScript Files
5760 @subsection PostScript Files
5766 @kindex X p (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5768 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5771 @kindex X P (Summary)
5772 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5773 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5774 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5777 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5778 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5779 View the current PostScript series
5780 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5783 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5785 View and save the current PostScript series
5786 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5791 @subsection Other Files
5795 @kindex X o (Summary)
5796 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5797 Save the current series
5798 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5801 @kindex X b (Summary)
5802 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5803 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5804 doesn't really work yet.
5808 @node Decoding Variables
5809 @subsection Decoding Variables
5811 Adjective, not verb.
5814 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5815 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5816 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5820 @node Rule Variables
5821 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5822 @cindex rule variables
5824 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5825 variables are of the form
5828 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5835 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5836 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5838 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5839 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5842 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5843 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5846 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5847 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5848 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5849 user and default view rules.
5851 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5852 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5853 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5858 @node Other Decode Variables
5859 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5862 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5864 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5865 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5866 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5867 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5868 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5872 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5873 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5876 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5877 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5878 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5881 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5882 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5883 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5884 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5885 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5888 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5889 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5890 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5892 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5893 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5894 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5895 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5896 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5899 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5900 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5901 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5903 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5904 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5905 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5906 looking for files to display.
5908 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5909 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5910 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5913 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5914 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5915 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5918 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5919 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5920 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5923 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5924 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5925 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5928 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5929 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5930 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5931 decoded articles as unread.
5933 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5934 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5935 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5936 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5938 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5939 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5940 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
5942 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5943 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5945 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5946 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5947 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5948 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5950 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5951 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5952 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5953 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5954 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5955 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5956 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5957 simply dropped them.
5962 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5963 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5967 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5968 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5969 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5970 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5971 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5972 for you when you post the article.
5974 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5975 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5976 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5977 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5979 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5980 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5981 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5982 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
5983 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5984 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5985 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5987 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5988 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5989 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5990 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5991 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5992 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5993 Default is @code{t}.
5999 @subsection Viewing Files
6000 @cindex viewing files
6001 @cindex pseudo-articles
6003 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6004 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6005 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6006 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6007 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6008 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6009 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6011 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6012 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6013 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6014 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6016 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6017 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6018 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6020 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6021 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6022 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6023 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6024 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6026 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6027 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6028 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6029 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6030 a list of parameters to that command.
6032 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6033 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6034 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6036 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6037 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6038 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6041 @node Article Treatment
6042 @section Article Treatment
6044 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6045 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6046 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6047 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6048 these articles easier.
6051 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6052 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6053 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6054 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6055 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6056 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6057 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6061 @node Article Highlighting
6062 @subsection Article Highlighting
6065 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6066 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6071 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6072 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6073 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
6076 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6077 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6078 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6079 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6080 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6081 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6082 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6083 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6084 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6085 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6086 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6089 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6090 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6091 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6093 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6096 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6098 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6099 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6100 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6102 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6103 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6104 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6106 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6107 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6108 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6110 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6111 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6112 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6113 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6114 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6115 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6117 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6118 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6119 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6121 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6122 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6123 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6125 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6126 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6127 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6128 that it's a citation.
6130 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6131 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6132 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6134 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6135 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6136 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6138 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6139 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6140 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6141 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6147 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6148 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6149 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6150 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6151 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6152 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6153 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6154 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6160 @node Article Fontisizing
6161 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6163 @cindex article emphasis
6165 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6166 @kindex W e (Summary)
6167 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6168 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6169 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6170 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6172 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
6173 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6174 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
6175 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6176 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6177 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6178 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6179 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6183 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6184 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6185 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6188 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6189 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6190 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6191 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6192 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6193 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6194 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6195 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6196 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6197 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6198 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6199 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6200 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6202 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6203 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6204 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6208 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6212 @node Article Hiding
6213 @subsection Article Hiding
6214 @cindex article hiding
6216 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6217 too much cruft in most articles.
6222 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6223 @findex gnus-article-hide
6224 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
6227 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6229 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6233 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6235 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6236 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6239 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6241 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6245 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6246 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6247 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6248 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6249 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6250 signature has been hidden.
6253 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6254 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6255 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6256 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6259 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6260 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6261 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6262 customizing the hiding:
6266 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6267 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6268 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6269 50), hide the cited text.
6271 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6272 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6273 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6276 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6277 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6278 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6279 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6280 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6285 Start point of the hidden text.
6287 End point of the hidden text.
6289 Length of the hidden text.
6292 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6293 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6294 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6299 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6300 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6301 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6302 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6303 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6304 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6308 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6309 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6310 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6312 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6313 citation customization.
6316 @node Article Washing
6317 @subsection Article Washing
6319 @cindex article washing
6321 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6322 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6324 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6325 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6331 @kindex W l (Summary)
6332 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6333 Remove page breaks from the current article
6334 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6338 @kindex W r (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6340 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6341 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6342 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6343 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6344 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6346 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6347 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6348 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6349 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6352 @kindex W t (Summary)
6353 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6354 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6355 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6358 @kindex W v (Summary)
6359 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6360 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6361 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6364 @kindex W m (Summary)
6365 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6366 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6367 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6370 @kindex W o (Summary)
6371 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6372 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6375 @kindex W d (Summary)
6376 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6377 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6380 @kindex W w (Summary)
6381 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6382 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6383 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6384 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6386 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6390 @kindex W c (Summary)
6391 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6392 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6393 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6396 @kindex W q (Summary)
6397 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6398 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6399 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6400 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6401 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6405 @kindex W f (Summary)
6407 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6408 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6409 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6410 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6416 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6417 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6418 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6419 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6420 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6421 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6422 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6423 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6424 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6425 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6426 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6427 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6428 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6429 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6433 @kindex W b (Summary)
6434 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6435 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6436 @xref{Article Buttons}
6439 @kindex W B (Summary)
6440 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6441 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6442 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6445 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6446 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6447 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6448 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6451 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6452 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6453 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6454 lines with a single empty line.
6455 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6458 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6459 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6460 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6461 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6464 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6465 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6466 Do all the three commands above
6467 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6470 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6471 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6472 Remove all blank lines
6473 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6476 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6478 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6479 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6484 @node Article Buttons
6485 @subsection Article Buttons
6488 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6489 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6490 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6491 button on these references.
6493 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6494 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6495 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6500 @item gnus-button-alist
6501 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6502 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6505 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6511 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6512 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6513 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6516 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6517 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6518 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6521 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6522 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6523 avoid false matches.
6526 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6529 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6530 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6534 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6537 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6540 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6541 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6542 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6543 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6544 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6547 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6550 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6552 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6553 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6554 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6555 default values of the variables above.
6557 @item gnus-article-button-face
6558 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6559 Face used on buttons.
6561 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6562 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6563 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6569 @subsection Article Date
6571 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6572 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6573 when the article was sent.
6578 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6579 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6580 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6581 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6584 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6585 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6587 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6588 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6591 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6593 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6596 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6597 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6598 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6599 @findex format-time-string
6600 Display the date using a user-defined format
6601 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6602 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6603 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6604 for a list of possible format specs.
6607 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6608 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6609 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6610 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6611 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6612 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6613 updated continually, you can put
6616 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6619 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6620 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6624 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6625 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6626 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6627 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6628 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6629 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6630 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6635 @node Article Signature
6636 @subsection Article Signature
6638 @cindex article signature
6640 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6641 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6642 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6643 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6644 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6645 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6646 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6647 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6648 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6651 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6652 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6653 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6654 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6655 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6656 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6657 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6658 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6661 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6664 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6665 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6670 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6673 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6676 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6677 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6679 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6680 in question is not a signature.
6683 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6684 listed above. Here's an example:
6687 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6688 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6691 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6692 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6693 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6694 signature after all.
6697 @node Article Commands
6698 @section Article Commands
6705 @kindex A P (Summary)
6706 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6707 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6708 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6709 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6710 run just before printing the buffer.
6715 @node Summary Sorting
6716 @section Summary Sorting
6717 @cindex summary sorting
6719 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6720 can't really see why you'd want that.
6725 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6726 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6727 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6730 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6731 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6732 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6735 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6736 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6737 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6740 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6741 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6742 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6745 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6746 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6747 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6750 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6752 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6755 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6756 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6757 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6758 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6759 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6763 @node Finding the Parent
6764 @section Finding the Parent
6765 @cindex parent articles
6766 @cindex referring articles
6771 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6772 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6773 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6774 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6775 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6776 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6777 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6778 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6779 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6781 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6782 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6783 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6784 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6785 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6789 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6790 @kindex A R (Summary)
6791 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
6792 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6795 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
6796 @kindex A T (Summary)
6797 Display the full thread where the current article appears
6798 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
6799 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
6800 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
6801 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
6802 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
6803 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
6805 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
6806 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
6807 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
6808 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
6809 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
6810 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
6813 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6814 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6816 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6817 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6818 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6819 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6820 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6821 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6822 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6825 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6826 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6827 by giving this command a prefix.
6829 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6830 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6831 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6832 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6833 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6834 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6837 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6838 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6839 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6840 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6841 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6842 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6845 @node Alternative Approaches
6846 @section Alternative Approaches
6848 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6849 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6852 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6853 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6858 @subsection Pick and Read
6859 @cindex pick and read
6861 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6862 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6863 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6864 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6866 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6867 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6868 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6869 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6870 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6871 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6873 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6878 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
6879 Pick the article or thread on the current line
6880 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
6881 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
6882 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
6883 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
6884 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6885 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6888 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6889 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6890 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6891 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6895 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
6896 Unpick the thread or article
6897 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
6898 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
6899 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
6900 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
6901 the thread or article at that line.
6905 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6906 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6907 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6908 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6909 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6910 will still be visible when you are reading.
6914 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
6915 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
6916 which is mapped to the same function
6917 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
6919 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6922 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6925 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6926 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6928 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6929 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6930 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6932 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6933 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
6934 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6935 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6936 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6937 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6938 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6942 @subsection Binary Groups
6943 @cindex binary groups
6945 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6946 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6947 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6948 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6949 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6950 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6951 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6954 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6955 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
6956 command, when you have turned on this mode
6957 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6959 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6960 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6964 @section Tree Display
6967 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6968 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6969 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6970 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6973 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6976 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6977 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6978 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6980 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6981 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6982 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
6983 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
6984 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
6986 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6987 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6988 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6989 default is @code{modeline}.
6991 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6992 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6993 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6994 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6995 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6996 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6997 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7003 The name of the poster.
7005 The @code{From} header.
7007 The number of the article.
7009 The opening bracket.
7011 The closing bracket.
7016 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7018 Variables related to the display are:
7021 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7022 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7023 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7024 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7025 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7026 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7028 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7029 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7030 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7031 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7035 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7036 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7037 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
7038 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
7039 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7040 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7041 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7042 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7043 other windows displayed next to it.
7045 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7046 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7047 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7048 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7049 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7050 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7051 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7055 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7058 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7068 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7072 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7073 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7075 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7077 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7082 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7083 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7084 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7087 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7088 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7089 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7090 (gnus-add-configuration
7094 (summary 0.75 point)
7099 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7102 @node Mail Group Commands
7103 @section Mail Group Commands
7104 @cindex mail group commands
7106 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7107 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7109 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7110 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7115 @kindex B e (Summary)
7116 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7117 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7118 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7121 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7122 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7123 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7124 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7125 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7126 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7129 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7130 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7131 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7132 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7133 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7134 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7137 @kindex B m (Summary)
7139 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7140 Move the article from one mail group to another
7141 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7144 @kindex B c (Summary)
7146 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7147 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7148 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7149 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7152 @kindex B B (Summary)
7153 @cindex crosspost mail
7154 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7155 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7156 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7157 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7158 be properly updated.
7161 @kindex B i (Summary)
7162 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7163 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7164 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7165 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7168 @kindex B r (Summary)
7169 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7170 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7171 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7172 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7173 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7177 @kindex B w (Summary)
7179 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7180 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7181 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7182 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7183 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7184 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7187 @kindex B q (Summary)
7188 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7189 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7190 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7191 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7194 @kindex B t (Summary)
7195 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7196 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7197 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7200 @kindex B p (Summary)
7201 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7202 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7203 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7204 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7205 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7206 article from your news server (or rather, from
7207 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7208 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7209 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7210 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7211 just not have arrived yet.
7215 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7216 @cindex moving articles
7217 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7218 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7219 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7220 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7221 suggestions you find reasonable.
7224 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7225 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7226 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7227 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7231 @node Various Summary Stuff
7232 @section Various Summary Stuff
7235 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7236 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7237 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7238 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7242 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7243 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7244 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7246 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7247 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7248 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7249 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7250 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7251 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7254 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7255 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7256 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7257 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7258 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7260 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7261 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7262 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7263 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7264 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7265 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7266 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7267 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7268 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7269 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7274 @node Summary Group Information
7275 @subsection Summary Group Information
7280 @kindex H f (Summary)
7281 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7282 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7283 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7284 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7285 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7286 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7287 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7288 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7289 be used for fetching the file.
7292 @kindex H d (Summary)
7293 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7294 Give a brief description of the current group
7295 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7296 rereading the description from the server.
7299 @kindex H h (Summary)
7300 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7301 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7302 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7305 @kindex H i (Summary)
7306 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7307 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7311 @node Searching for Articles
7312 @subsection Searching for Articles
7317 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7318 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7319 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7320 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7323 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7324 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7325 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7326 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7330 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7331 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7332 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7333 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7337 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7339 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7340 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7343 @node Summary Generation Commands
7344 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7349 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7350 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7351 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7354 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7355 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7356 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7357 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7362 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7363 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7368 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7369 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7370 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7371 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7372 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7373 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7374 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7375 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7376 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7380 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7382 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7383 several documents into one biiig group
7384 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7385 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7386 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7387 command understands the process/prefix convention
7388 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7391 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7392 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7393 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7394 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7395 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7396 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7400 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7401 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7402 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7405 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7406 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7407 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7408 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7413 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7414 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7415 @cindex summary exit
7416 @cindex exiting groups
7418 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7419 group and return you to the group buffer.
7425 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7427 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7428 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7429 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7430 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7431 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7432 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7433 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7434 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7435 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7436 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7437 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7441 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7443 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7444 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7445 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7449 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7451 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7452 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7453 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7454 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7457 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7458 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7459 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7460 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7463 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7464 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7465 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7466 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7469 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7470 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7471 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7472 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7473 all articles, both read and unread.
7477 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7478 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7479 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7480 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7481 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7482 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7483 articles, both read and unread.
7486 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7487 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7488 Exit the group and go to the next group
7489 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7492 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7493 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7494 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7495 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7498 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7499 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7500 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7501 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7502 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7503 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7506 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7507 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7510 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7511 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7512 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7513 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7514 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7515 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7516 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7517 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7518 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7519 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7520 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7521 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7523 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7525 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7526 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7527 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7528 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7529 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7530 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7531 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7532 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7533 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7536 @node Crosspost Handling
7537 @section Crosspost Handling
7541 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7542 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7543 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7544 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7545 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7546 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7549 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7550 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7551 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7552 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7553 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7555 @cindex cross-posting
7558 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7559 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7560 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7561 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7562 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7563 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7564 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7565 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7566 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7567 the cross reference mechanism.
7569 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7570 @cindex overview.fmt
7571 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7572 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7573 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7574 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7575 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7576 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7579 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7580 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7581 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7586 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7589 @node Duplicate Suppression
7590 @section Duplicate Suppression
7592 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7593 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7594 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7595 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7600 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7601 is evil and not very common.
7604 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7605 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7608 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7609 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7612 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7615 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7616 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7618 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7619 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7620 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7621 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7622 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7623 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7624 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7627 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7628 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7629 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7630 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7631 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7635 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7636 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7637 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7639 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7640 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7641 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7642 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7643 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7644 session are suppressed.
7646 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7647 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7648 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7649 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7651 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7652 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7653 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7654 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7657 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7658 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7659 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7660 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7661 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7662 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7663 to you to figure out, I think.
7666 @node The Article Buffer
7667 @chapter The Article Buffer
7668 @cindex article buffer
7670 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7671 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7672 tell Gnus otherwise.
7675 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7676 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7677 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7678 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7679 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7683 @node Hiding Headers
7684 @section Hiding Headers
7685 @cindex hiding headers
7686 @cindex deleting headers
7688 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7689 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7691 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7692 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7693 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7694 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7695 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7696 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7697 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7698 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7699 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7701 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7705 @item gnus-visible-headers
7706 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7707 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7708 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7709 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7711 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7712 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7715 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7718 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7721 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7722 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7723 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7724 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7725 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7726 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7728 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7729 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7732 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7735 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7738 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7739 variable will have no effect.
7743 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7744 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7745 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7746 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7747 the headers are to be displayed.
7749 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7750 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7753 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7756 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7757 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
7759 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7760 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7761 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7762 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7763 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7764 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7765 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7766 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7767 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7769 These conditions are:
7772 Remove all empty headers.
7774 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7777 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7778 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7780 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7783 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7786 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
7788 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
7791 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7794 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7795 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7798 This is also the default value for this variable.
7802 @section Using @sc{mime}
7805 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7806 while people stand around yawning.
7808 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7809 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7811 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7812 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7813 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7815 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7816 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7817 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7818 @findex metamail-buffer
7819 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7820 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7821 default. This function calls the external @code{metamail} program to
7822 actually do the work. One common problem with this program is that is
7823 thinks that it can't display 8-bit things in the Emacs buffer. To tell
7824 it the truth, put something like the following in your
7825 @file{.bash_profile} file. (You do use @code{bash}, don't you?)
7828 export MM_CHARSET="iso-8859-1"
7831 For more information on @code{metamail}, see its manual page.
7833 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7834 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7835 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7836 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7837 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7838 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7840 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7841 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7842 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7843 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7844 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7845 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7846 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7847 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7848 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7850 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7853 @node Customizing Articles
7854 @section Customizing Articles
7855 @cindex article customization
7857 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7858 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7859 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7860 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7862 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7863 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7864 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7865 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7866 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7867 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7868 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7869 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7870 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7872 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7873 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7874 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7875 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7876 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7879 @node Article Keymap
7880 @section Article Keymap
7882 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7883 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7884 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7885 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7888 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7893 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7894 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7895 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7898 @kindex DEL (Article)
7899 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7900 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7903 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7904 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7905 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7906 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7907 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7910 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7911 @findex gnus-article-mail
7912 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7913 given a prefix, include the mail.
7917 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7918 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7919 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7923 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7924 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7925 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7928 @kindex TAB (Article)
7929 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7930 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
7931 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7934 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7935 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7936 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
7942 @section Misc Article
7946 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7947 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7948 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7949 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7952 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7953 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7954 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7955 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7956 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7957 the contents of the article buffer.
7959 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7960 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7961 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7962 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7963 hiding headers, and the like.
7965 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7966 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7967 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7969 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7970 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7971 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7972 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7974 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7975 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7976 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7977 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
7978 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
7983 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7984 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7988 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7990 @item gnus-break-pages
7991 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7992 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7993 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7994 paging will not be done.
7996 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7997 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7998 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8003 @node Composing Messages
8004 @chapter Composing Messages
8005 @cindex composing messages
8008 @cindex sending mail
8013 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8014 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8015 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8016 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8017 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8018 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8019 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8022 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8023 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8024 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8025 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8026 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8027 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8028 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8029 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8032 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8033 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8039 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8042 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8043 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8044 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8045 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8047 @item gnus-add-to-list
8048 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8049 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8050 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8058 Variables for composing news articles:
8061 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8062 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8063 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8064 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8065 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8066 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8067 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8068 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8069 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
8072 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8073 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8074 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8075 file. It is 1000 by default.
8080 @node Posting Server
8081 @section Posting Server
8083 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8084 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8086 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8088 @vindex gnus-post-method
8090 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
8091 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8092 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8093 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8094 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8097 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8100 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8101 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8102 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8103 the ``current'' server for posting.
8105 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8106 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8108 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8109 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8112 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8113 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8114 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8119 @section Mail and Post
8121 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8125 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8126 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8127 @cindex mailing lists
8129 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8130 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8131 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8132 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8133 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8134 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8135 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8136 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8137 still a pain, though.
8141 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8142 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8143 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8146 @findex ispell-message
8148 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8152 @node Archived Messages
8153 @section Archived Messages
8154 @cindex archived messages
8155 @cindex sent messages
8157 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8158 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8159 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8160 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8163 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8164 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8165 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8169 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8170 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8171 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8172 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8175 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8176 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8177 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8178 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8181 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8182 '(nnfolder "archive"
8183 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8184 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8185 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8188 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8190 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8191 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8192 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8194 This variable can be used to do the following:
8198 Messages will be saved in that group.
8199 @item a list of strings
8200 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8201 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8202 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8204 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8209 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8211 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8214 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8216 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8219 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8221 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8222 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8223 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8224 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8229 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8230 '((if (message-news-p)
8235 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8236 messages in one file per month:
8239 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8240 '((if (message-news-p)
8242 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8243 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8246 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8247 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8249 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8250 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8251 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8252 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8253 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8254 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8255 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8256 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8257 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8258 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8260 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8261 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8262 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8263 this will disable archiving.
8266 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8267 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8268 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8269 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8270 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8273 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8274 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8275 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8278 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8279 but the latter is the preferred method.
8283 @node Posting Styles
8284 @section Posting Styles
8285 @cindex posting styles
8288 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8290 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8291 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8292 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8295 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8296 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8297 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8298 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8299 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8304 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8305 (organization "What me?"))
8307 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8308 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8309 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8312 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8313 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8314 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8315 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8316 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8317 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8318 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8319 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8321 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8322 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8323 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8324 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8325 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8326 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8329 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8330 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8331 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8332 @code{organization}, @code{address} or @code{name}. The attribute name
8333 can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as a header name,
8334 and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article.
8336 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8337 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8338 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8340 So here's a new example:
8343 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8345 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8347 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8348 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8350 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8351 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8352 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8353 (posting-from-work-p
8354 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8355 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8356 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8358 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8365 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8366 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8367 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8368 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8369 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8371 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8372 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8373 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8374 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8375 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8379 @vindex nndraft-directory
8380 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8381 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8382 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8383 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8384 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8385 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8387 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8388 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8391 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8392 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8393 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8394 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8395 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8396 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8397 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8398 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8399 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8400 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8401 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8402 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8403 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8404 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8406 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8407 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8408 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8410 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8412 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8413 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8414 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8416 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8419 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8420 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8421 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8422 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8423 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8424 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8425 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8428 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8429 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8430 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8433 @node Rejected Articles
8434 @section Rejected Articles
8435 @cindex rejected articles
8437 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8438 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8439 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8440 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8442 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8443 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8444 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8445 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8446 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8448 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8449 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8450 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8453 @node Select Methods
8454 @chapter Select Methods
8455 @cindex foreign groups
8456 @cindex select methods
8458 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8459 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8460 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8461 personal mail group.
8463 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8464 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8465 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8466 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8467 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8468 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8470 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8471 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8473 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8476 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8477 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8478 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8479 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8480 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8482 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8485 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8486 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8487 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8488 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8489 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8490 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8494 @node The Server Buffer
8495 @section The Server Buffer
8497 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8498 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8499 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8500 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8501 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8502 backend represents a virtual server.
8504 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8505 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8506 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8507 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8509 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8510 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8511 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8512 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8513 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8514 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8515 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8517 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8518 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8521 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8522 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8523 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8524 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8525 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8526 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8527 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8530 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8531 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8534 @node Server Buffer Format
8535 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8536 @cindex server buffer format
8538 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8539 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8540 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8541 variable, with some simple extensions:
8546 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8549 The name of this server.
8552 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8555 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8558 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8559 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8560 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
8561 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
8571 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8574 @node Server Commands
8575 @subsection Server Commands
8576 @cindex server commands
8582 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8583 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8587 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8588 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8591 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8592 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8593 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8597 @findex gnus-server-exit
8598 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8602 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8603 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8607 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8608 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8612 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8613 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8617 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8618 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8622 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8623 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8624 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8629 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8630 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8631 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8632 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8637 @node Example Methods
8638 @subsection Example Methods
8640 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8643 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8646 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8652 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8653 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8656 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8657 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8659 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8660 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8664 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8667 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8668 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8670 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8671 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8672 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8676 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8679 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8682 Here's the method for a public spool:
8686 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8687 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8690 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8691 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8692 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8693 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8694 should probably look something like this:
8698 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8699 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8700 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8701 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8702 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8705 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
8706 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
8707 server that would look something like this:
8711 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
8712 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
8713 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8714 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8715 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8716 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
8719 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
8720 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
8721 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
8722 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
8725 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8726 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8728 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8729 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8731 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8732 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8733 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8735 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8737 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8738 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8739 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8740 will contain the following:
8750 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8751 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8752 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8755 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8756 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8757 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8760 @node Server Variables
8761 @subsection Server Variables
8763 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8764 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8765 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8766 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8767 won't change the "derived" variables.
8769 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8770 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8771 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8772 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8773 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8774 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8775 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8776 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8777 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8781 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8782 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8783 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8787 @node Servers and Methods
8788 @subsection Servers and Methods
8790 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8791 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8792 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8793 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8797 @node Unavailable Servers
8798 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8800 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8801 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8802 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8803 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8804 actually the case or not.
8806 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8807 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8808 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8809 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8810 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8811 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8812 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8813 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8815 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8816 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8818 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8819 with the following commands:
8825 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8826 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8827 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8831 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8832 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8833 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8837 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8838 Mark the current server as unreachable
8839 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8842 @kindex M-o (Server)
8843 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8844 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8845 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8848 @kindex M-c (Server)
8849 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8850 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8851 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8855 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8856 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8857 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8863 @section Getting News
8864 @cindex reading news
8865 @cindex news backends
8867 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8868 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8869 or it can read from a local spool.
8872 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8873 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8878 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8881 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8882 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8883 server as the, uhm, address.
8885 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8886 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8887 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8888 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8890 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8891 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8892 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8894 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8899 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8900 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8901 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8903 @cindex authentification
8904 @cindex nntp authentification
8905 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8906 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8907 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
8908 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
8909 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
8910 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
8911 present in this hook.
8913 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8914 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8915 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8916 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
8917 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8918 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
8919 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
8920 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
8921 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
8922 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
8923 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
8924 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
8928 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
8931 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
8932 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
8933 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
8934 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
8935 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
8940 Here's an example file:
8943 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
8944 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
8947 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
8948 have to be first, for instance.
8950 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
8951 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
8952 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
8953 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
8954 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
8955 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
8956 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
8958 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
8959 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
8965 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
8966 previously mentioned.
8968 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
8970 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8971 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8972 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8973 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8974 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8977 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8981 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8983 The default value is
8986 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8987 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8990 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8991 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8993 @item nntp-maximum-request
8994 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8995 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8996 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8997 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8998 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8999 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9000 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9002 @c @item nntp-connection-timeout
9003 @c @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9004 @c If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9005 @c regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9006 @c responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9007 @c time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9008 @c somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9009 @c that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9010 @c connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9011 @c no timeouts are done.
9013 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9014 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9015 @c @cindex PPP connections
9016 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9017 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9018 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9019 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9020 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9021 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9022 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9023 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9024 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9025 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9027 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9028 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9029 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9030 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9033 @item nntp-server-hook
9034 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9035 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9038 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9039 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9040 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9041 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9042 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9043 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9044 functions are supplied:
9047 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9048 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9051 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9052 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9053 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9056 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9060 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9061 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9062 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9063 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9065 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9066 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9067 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9069 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9070 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9071 User name on the remote system.
9075 @item nntp-open-telnet
9076 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9077 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9079 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9082 @item nntp-telnet-command
9083 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9084 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9086 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9087 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9088 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9090 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9091 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9092 User name for log in on the remote system.
9094 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9095 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9096 Password to use when logging in.
9098 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9099 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9100 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9103 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9104 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9105 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9106 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9108 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9109 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9110 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9111 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9112 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9116 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9117 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9118 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9119 you must have SSLay installed
9120 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9121 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9122 define a server as follows:
9125 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9127 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9129 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9130 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9131 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9132 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9137 @item nntp-end-of-line
9138 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9139 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9140 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9141 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9143 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9144 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9145 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9149 @vindex nntp-address
9150 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9152 @item nntp-port-number
9153 @vindex nntp-port-number
9154 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9157 @item nntp-buggy-select
9158 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9159 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9161 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9162 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9163 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9164 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9167 @item nntp-xover-commands
9168 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9171 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9172 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9176 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9177 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9178 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9179 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9180 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9181 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9182 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9183 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9184 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9185 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9186 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9188 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9189 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9190 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9192 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9193 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9194 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9195 server closes connection.
9197 @item nntp-record-commands
9198 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9199 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9200 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9201 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9202 that doesn't seem to work.
9208 @subsection News Spool
9212 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9213 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9214 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9217 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9218 anything else) as the address.
9220 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9221 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9222 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9223 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9227 @item nnspool-inews-program
9228 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9229 Program used to post an article.
9231 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9232 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9233 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9235 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9236 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9237 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9238 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9240 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9241 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9242 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9243 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9245 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9246 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9247 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9249 @item nnspool-active-file
9250 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9251 The path to the active file.
9253 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9254 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9255 The path to the group descriptions file.
9257 @item nnspool-history-file
9258 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9259 The path to the news history file.
9261 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9262 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9263 The path to the active date file.
9265 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9266 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9267 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9270 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9271 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9273 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9274 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9275 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9281 @section Getting Mail
9282 @cindex reading mail
9285 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9289 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9290 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9291 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9292 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9293 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9294 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9295 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9296 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9297 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9298 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9299 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9303 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9304 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9306 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9307 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9308 and things will happen automatically.
9310 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9311 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9314 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9315 '((nnml "private")))
9318 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9319 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9320 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9321 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9322 like any other group.
9324 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9327 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9328 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9329 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9333 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9334 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9335 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9338 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9339 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9340 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9343 @node Splitting Mail
9344 @subsection Splitting Mail
9345 @cindex splitting mail
9346 @cindex mail splitting
9348 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9349 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9350 to be split into groups.
9353 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9354 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9355 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9359 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9360 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9361 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9362 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9363 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9364 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9365 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9368 ("list.\\1" "From:.*\\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9371 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9372 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9373 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9374 mail belongs in that group.
9376 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9377 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9378 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9379 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9380 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9381 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9383 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9384 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9385 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9386 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9387 thinks should carry this mail message.
9389 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9390 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9391 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9392 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9394 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9395 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9396 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9397 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9398 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9400 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9403 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9404 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9405 links. If that's the case for you, set
9406 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9407 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9409 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9410 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9411 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9412 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9414 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9415 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9416 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9417 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9418 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9419 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9420 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9421 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9425 @node Mail Backend Variables
9426 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9428 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9432 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9433 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9434 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9435 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9437 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9438 @item nnmail-spool-file
9442 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9443 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9444 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9445 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9446 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9447 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9448 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9449 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9450 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9451 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9452 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9453 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9454 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9455 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9456 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9458 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9460 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9461 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9464 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9465 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9466 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9467 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9468 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9469 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9471 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9472 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9473 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9474 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9475 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9476 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9477 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9480 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9481 @item nnmail-crash-box
9482 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9483 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9484 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9487 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9488 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9489 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9490 used for, well, anything, really.
9492 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9493 @item nnmail-split-hook
9494 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9495 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9496 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9497 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9498 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9499 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9500 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9501 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9503 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9504 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9505 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9506 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9507 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9508 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9509 starting to handle the new mail) and
9510 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9511 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9512 default file modes the new mail files get:
9515 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9516 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9518 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9519 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9522 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9523 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9524 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9525 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9526 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9527 it will be used instead.
9529 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9530 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9531 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9532 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9534 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9535 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9538 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9539 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9540 @cindex incoming mail files
9541 @cindex deleting incoming files
9542 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9543 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9546 @c This is @code{nil} by
9547 @c default for reasons of security.
9549 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9550 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9551 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9552 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9553 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9556 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9558 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9559 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9560 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9561 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9562 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9563 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9564 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9566 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9567 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9569 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9571 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9572 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9573 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9574 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9575 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9580 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9581 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9582 @cindex mail splitting
9583 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9585 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9586 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9587 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9588 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9589 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9590 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9592 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9595 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9596 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9597 ;; from real errors.
9598 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9600 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9601 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9602 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9603 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9604 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9605 ;; Other mailing lists...
9606 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9607 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9609 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9610 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9614 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9615 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9616 the five possible split syntaxes:
9621 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
9622 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
9626 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9627 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9628 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9631 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9632 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9633 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9634 be stored in one or more groups.
9637 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9638 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9641 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9642 this message. Use with extreme caution.
9645 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9646 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9647 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9652 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9653 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9654 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9655 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9656 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9658 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9659 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9660 are expanded as specified by the variable
9661 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9662 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9665 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9666 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9667 when all this splitting is performed.
9669 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9670 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9671 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9674 (any "debian-\\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9677 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
9678 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\1}
9679 up to @samp{\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
9680 groupings 1 through 9.
9683 @node Mail and Procmail
9684 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9689 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9690 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9691 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9692 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9693 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9695 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
9696 something like the following:
9698 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9700 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
9701 (setq nnmail-spool-file
9702 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
9705 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9706 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9709 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9710 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9711 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9712 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9713 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9714 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9716 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9719 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9721 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9722 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9724 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9725 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9726 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9727 to include all your mail groups.
9729 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9730 method will be created automatically.
9732 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9733 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9734 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9735 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9736 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9737 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9738 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9739 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9741 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9742 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9743 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9744 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9745 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9747 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9748 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9749 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9750 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9751 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9752 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9754 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9755 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9756 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9757 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9758 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9761 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9762 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9763 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9764 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9765 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9769 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9770 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9772 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9773 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9774 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9777 Doing so can be quite easy.
9779 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9780 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9781 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9782 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9783 your @code{nnml} groups.
9789 Go to the group buffer.
9792 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9793 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9796 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9799 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9800 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9803 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9804 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9807 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9808 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9809 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9810 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9811 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9813 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9814 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9815 using the new mail backend.
9819 @subsection Expiring Mail
9820 @cindex article expiry
9822 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9823 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9824 different approach to mail reading.
9826 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9827 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9828 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9829 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9830 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9831 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9834 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9835 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9836 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9837 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9838 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9839 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9840 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9841 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9843 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9844 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9845 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9846 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9847 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9848 column in the summary buffer.
9850 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9851 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9852 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9853 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9856 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9858 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9859 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9860 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9863 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
9864 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
9865 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
9866 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
9867 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
9869 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
9870 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
9873 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9874 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
9877 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
9878 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
9880 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9881 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9882 don't really mix very well.
9884 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9885 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9886 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
9887 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
9890 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9891 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9892 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9893 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9896 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9898 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9900 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9902 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9904 ((string= group "important")
9910 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9911 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9913 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9914 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
9915 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
9918 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9919 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9921 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9922 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9923 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9924 easier for procmail users.
9926 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9927 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9928 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9929 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9930 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9931 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9932 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9933 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9934 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9935 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9936 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9937 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9938 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9941 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9945 @subsection Washing Mail
9946 @cindex mail washing
9947 @cindex list server brain damage
9948 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9950 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9951 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9952 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9953 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9954 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9955 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9957 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9958 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9959 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9962 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9963 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9964 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9965 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9968 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9969 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9970 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9971 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9974 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9975 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9976 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9977 Emacs running on MS machines.
9981 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9982 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9983 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9984 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9987 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9988 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9989 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9990 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
9992 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9993 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9994 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9995 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9996 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
9997 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
9998 also be a list of regexp.
10000 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10001 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10004 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10005 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10008 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10009 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10010 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10014 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10015 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10016 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10020 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10021 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10022 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10029 @subsection Duplicates
10031 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10032 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10033 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10034 @cindex duplicate mails
10035 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10036 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10037 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10038 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10039 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10040 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10041 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10042 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10043 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10044 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10045 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10046 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10047 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10049 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10050 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10051 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10052 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10054 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10057 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10058 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10062 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10063 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10064 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10065 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10066 (any mail "mail.misc")
10073 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10074 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10079 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10080 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10081 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10082 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10083 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10086 @node Not Reading Mail
10087 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10089 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10090 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10091 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10093 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10094 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10096 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10097 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10098 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10099 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10100 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10101 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10102 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10103 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10104 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10105 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10106 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10108 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10109 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10113 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10114 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10116 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10117 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10118 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10121 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10122 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10123 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10124 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10125 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10129 @node Unix Mail Box
10130 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10132 @cindex unix mail box
10134 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10135 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10136 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10137 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10138 which group it belongs in.
10140 Virtual server settings:
10143 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10144 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10145 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10147 @item nnmbox-active-file
10148 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10149 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10151 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10152 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10153 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10159 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10163 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10164 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10165 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10166 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10167 article to say which group it belongs in.
10169 Virtual server settings:
10172 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10173 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10174 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10176 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10177 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10178 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10180 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10181 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10182 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10187 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10189 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10191 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10192 format. It should be used with some caution.
10194 @vindex nnml-directory
10195 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10196 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10197 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10198 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10200 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10203 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10204 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10205 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10206 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10207 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10208 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10209 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10210 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10212 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10213 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10214 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10215 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10217 Virtual server settings:
10220 @item nnml-directory
10221 @vindex nnml-directory
10222 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10224 @item nnml-active-file
10225 @vindex nnml-active-file
10226 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10228 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10229 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10230 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10233 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10234 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10235 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10237 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10238 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10239 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10241 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10242 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10243 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10245 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10246 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10247 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10251 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10252 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10253 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10254 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10255 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10256 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10257 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10262 @subsubsection MH Spool
10264 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10266 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10267 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10268 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10269 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10271 Virtual server settings:
10274 @item nnmh-directory
10275 @vindex nnmh-directory
10276 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10278 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10279 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10280 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10283 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10284 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10285 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10286 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10287 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10288 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10289 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10294 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10296 @cindex mbox folders
10297 @cindex mail folders
10299 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10300 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10301 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10304 Virtual server settings:
10307 @item nnfolder-directory
10308 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10309 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10311 @item nnfolder-active-file
10312 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10313 The name of the active file.
10315 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10316 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10317 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10319 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10320 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10321 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10324 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10325 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10326 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10327 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10328 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10329 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10332 @node Other Sources
10333 @section Other Sources
10335 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10336 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10340 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10341 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10342 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10343 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10344 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10345 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10349 @node Directory Groups
10350 @subsection Directory Groups
10352 @cindex directory groups
10354 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10355 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10358 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10359 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10360 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10361 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10363 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10364 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10365 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10366 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10367 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10369 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10371 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10372 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10373 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10374 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10377 @node Anything Groups
10378 @subsection Anything Groups
10381 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10382 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10383 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10386 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10387 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10388 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10389 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10390 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10391 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10392 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10393 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10394 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10395 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10398 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10399 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10400 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10401 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10403 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10404 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10405 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10406 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10408 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10409 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10410 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10411 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10412 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10413 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10414 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10415 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10420 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10421 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10422 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10423 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10425 @item nneething-exclude-files
10426 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10427 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10428 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10430 @item nneething-map-file
10431 @vindex nneething-map-file
10432 Name of the map files.
10436 @node Document Groups
10437 @subsection Document Groups
10439 @cindex documentation group
10442 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10443 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10450 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10455 The standard Unix mbox file.
10457 @cindex MMDF mail box
10459 The MMDF mail box format.
10462 Several news articles appended into a file.
10465 @cindex rnews batch files
10466 The rnews batch transport format.
10467 @cindex forwarded messages
10470 Forwarded articles.
10474 @cindex MIME digest
10475 @cindex 1153 digest
10476 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10477 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10478 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10480 @item standard-digest
10481 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10484 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10487 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10488 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10489 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10492 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10493 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10494 group. And that's it.
10496 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10497 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10498 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10499 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10500 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10501 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10502 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10503 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10504 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10505 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10507 Virtual server variables:
10510 @item nndoc-article-type
10511 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10512 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10513 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10514 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{standard-digest},
10515 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or @code{guess}.
10517 @item nndoc-post-type
10518 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10519 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10520 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10525 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10529 @node Document Server Internals
10530 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10532 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10533 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10534 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10535 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10537 First, here's an example document type definition:
10541 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10542 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10545 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10546 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10547 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10548 types can be defined with very few settings:
10551 @item first-article
10552 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10553 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10556 @item article-begin
10557 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10558 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10560 @item head-begin-function
10561 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10564 @item nndoc-head-begin
10565 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10568 @item nndoc-head-end
10569 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10570 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10572 @item body-begin-function
10573 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10577 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10580 @item body-end-function
10581 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10585 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10588 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10589 regexp will be totally ignored.
10593 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10594 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10595 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10596 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10597 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10600 @item prepare-body-function
10601 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10602 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10603 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10605 @item article-transform-function
10606 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10607 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10608 body of the article.
10610 @item generate-head-function
10611 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10612 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10613 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10614 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10618 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10623 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10624 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10625 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10626 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10627 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10628 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10629 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10630 (subtype digest guess))
10633 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10634 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10635 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10636 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10637 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10639 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10640 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10641 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10642 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10643 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
10644 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10645 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10646 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10647 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10648 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10656 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10657 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10658 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10660 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10661 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10662 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10665 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10666 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10667 that interested in doing things properly.
10669 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10670 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10673 First some terminology:
10678 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10679 get news and/or mail from.
10682 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10683 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10686 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10690 @item message packets
10691 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10692 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10693 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10695 @item response packets
10696 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10697 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10698 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10708 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10709 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10710 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10711 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10714 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10717 You put the packet in your home directory.
10720 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10721 the native or secondary server.
10724 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10725 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10728 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10732 You transfer this packet to the server.
10735 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10738 You then repeat until you die.
10742 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10743 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10746 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10747 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10748 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10752 @node SOUP Commands
10753 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10755 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10759 @kindex G s b (Group)
10760 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10761 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10762 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10763 process/prefix convention.
10766 @kindex G s w (Group)
10767 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10768 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10771 @kindex G s s (Group)
10772 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10773 Send all replies from the replies packet
10774 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10777 @kindex G s p (Group)
10778 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10779 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10782 @kindex G s r (Group)
10783 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10784 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10787 @kindex O s (Summary)
10788 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10789 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10790 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10791 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10796 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10801 @item gnus-soup-directory
10802 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10803 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10804 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10806 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10807 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10808 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10809 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10811 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10812 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10813 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10814 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10816 @item gnus-soup-packer
10817 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10818 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10819 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10821 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10822 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10823 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10824 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10826 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10827 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10828 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10830 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10831 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10832 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10833 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
10839 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
10842 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
10843 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
10844 you can read them at leisure.
10846 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
10850 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
10851 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
10852 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
10853 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
10855 @item nnsoup-directory
10856 @vindex nnsoup-directory
10857 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
10858 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
10860 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
10861 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
10862 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
10863 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
10865 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
10866 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
10867 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
10868 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
10869 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
10871 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
10872 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
10873 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
10874 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
10876 @item nnsoup-active-file
10877 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
10878 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
10879 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
10880 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
10881 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10883 @item nnsoup-packer
10884 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10885 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10886 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
10888 @item nnsoup-unpacker
10889 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
10890 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
10891 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10893 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
10894 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
10895 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
10898 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
10899 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10900 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10903 @item nnsoup-always-save
10904 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
10905 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
10911 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10913 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10914 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10915 more for that to happen.
10917 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10918 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10919 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10922 In specific, this is what it does:
10925 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10926 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10929 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10930 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10931 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10935 @subsection Web Searches
10939 @cindex InReference
10940 @cindex Usenet searches
10941 @cindex searching the Usenet
10943 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10944 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10945 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10946 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10947 searches without having to use a browser.
10949 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10950 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10951 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10952 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10953 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10955 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10956 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10957 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10958 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10959 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
10960 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10961 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10962 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10963 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10964 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
10967 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10968 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10969 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10970 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10971 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10972 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10974 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10975 to use @code{nnweb}.
10977 Virtual server variables:
10982 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10983 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
10987 @vindex nnweb-search
10988 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10990 @item nnweb-max-hits
10991 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10992 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10995 @item nnweb-type-definition
10996 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
10997 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
10998 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11003 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11007 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11010 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11013 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11017 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11024 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11025 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11026 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11029 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11030 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11031 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11033 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11039 @item nngateway-address
11040 @vindex nngateway-address
11041 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11043 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11044 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11045 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11046 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11047 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11048 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11049 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11052 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11053 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11054 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11057 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11060 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11063 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11066 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11068 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11071 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11072 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11073 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11075 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11077 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11078 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11079 @code{nngateway-address}.
11084 (setq gnus-post-method
11085 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11086 (nngateway-header-transformation
11087 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11095 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11098 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11102 @node Combined Groups
11103 @section Combined Groups
11105 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11109 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11110 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11114 @node Virtual Groups
11115 @subsection Virtual Groups
11117 @cindex virtual groups
11118 @cindex merging groups
11120 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11123 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11124 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11125 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11127 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11128 regexp to match component groups.
11130 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11131 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11132 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11133 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11134 the virtual group.)
11136 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11137 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11140 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11143 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11144 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11146 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11147 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11148 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11149 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11152 "^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11155 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11156 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11157 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11159 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11160 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11161 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11162 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11163 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11165 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11166 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11167 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11169 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11170 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11171 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11172 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11173 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11174 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11175 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11176 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11177 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11178 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11179 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11182 @node Kibozed Groups
11183 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11187 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11188 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11189 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11190 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11192 @kindex G k (Group)
11193 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11196 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11197 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11198 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11199 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11201 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11202 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11203 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11205 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11206 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11207 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11208 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11209 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11210 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11211 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11212 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11214 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11215 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11216 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11217 Stranger things have happened.
11219 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11220 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11222 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11223 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11224 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11225 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11226 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11227 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11229 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11230 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11233 @node Gnus Unplugged
11234 @section Gnus Unplugged
11239 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11241 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11242 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11243 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11244 read news. Believe it or not.
11246 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11247 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11248 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11249 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11250 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11252 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11253 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11254 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11255 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11256 reading news on a machine.
11258 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11262 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11263 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11267 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11268 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11275 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11277 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11280 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11281 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11282 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11283 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11284 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11285 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11286 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11287 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11292 @subsection Agent Basics
11294 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11296 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11297 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11298 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11299 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11301 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11302 connected to the net continuously.
11304 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11305 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11307 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11312 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11313 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11314 already fetched while in this mode.
11317 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11318 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11319 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11322 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11323 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11324 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11325 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11328 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11329 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11330 then you read the news offline.
11333 And then you go to step 2.
11336 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11342 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11343 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11344 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11345 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11346 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11347 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11350 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
11357 @node Agent Categories
11358 @subsection Agent Categories
11360 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11361 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11362 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11363 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11364 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11365 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11366 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11368 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11369 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11370 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11373 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11374 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11375 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11379 @node Category Syntax
11380 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11382 A category consists of two things.
11386 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11387 are eligible for downloading; and
11390 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11391 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11392 score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
11395 A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
11398 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11400 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11401 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11407 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11408 short (for some value of ``short'').
11410 Here's a more complex predicate:
11419 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11420 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11423 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11424 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11425 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11427 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11428 you want to do, you can write your own.
11432 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11433 lines; default 100.
11436 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11437 lines; default 200.
11440 True iff the article has a download score less than
11441 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11444 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11445 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11448 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11449 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11450 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11459 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11460 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11461 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11464 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11465 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11466 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11467 following headers can be scored on: @code{From}, @code{Subject},
11468 @code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
11469 and @code{References}.
11472 @node The Category Buffer
11473 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11475 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11476 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11477 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11479 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11483 @kindex q (Category)
11484 @findex gnus-category-exit
11485 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11488 @kindex k (Category)
11489 @findex gnus-category-kill
11490 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11493 @kindex c (Category)
11494 @findex gnus-category-copy
11495 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11498 @kindex a (Category)
11499 @findex gnus-category-add
11500 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11503 @kindex p (Category)
11504 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11505 Edit the predicate of the current category
11506 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11509 @kindex g (Category)
11510 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11511 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11512 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11515 @kindex s (Category)
11516 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11517 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11518 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
11521 @kindex l (Category)
11522 @findex gnus-category-list
11523 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
11527 @node Category Variables
11528 @subsubsection Category Variables
11531 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
11532 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
11533 Hook run in category buffers.
11535 @item gnus-category-line-format
11536 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
11537 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
11538 Variables}). Legal elements are:
11542 The name of the category.
11545 The number of groups in the category.
11548 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
11549 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
11550 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
11552 @item gnus-agent-short-article
11553 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
11554 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
11556 @item gnus-agent-long-article
11557 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
11558 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
11560 @item gnus-agent-low-score
11561 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
11562 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
11565 @item gnus-agent-high-score
11566 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
11567 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
11573 @node Agent Commands
11574 @subsection Agent Commands
11576 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
11577 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
11578 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
11582 * Group Agent Commands::
11583 * Summary Agent Commands::
11584 * Server Agent Commands::
11587 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
11588 following incantation:
11590 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11592 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11597 @node Group Agent Commands
11598 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
11602 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
11603 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
11604 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
11605 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
11608 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
11609 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
11610 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
11613 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
11614 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
11615 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
11616 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
11619 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
11620 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
11621 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
11622 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
11625 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
11626 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
11627 Add the current group to an Agent category
11628 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
11633 @node Summary Agent Commands
11634 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
11638 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
11639 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
11640 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
11643 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
11644 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
11645 Remove the downloading mark from the article
11646 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
11649 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
11650 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
11651 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
11654 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
11655 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
11656 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
11661 @node Server Agent Commands
11662 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
11666 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
11667 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
11668 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
11669 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
11672 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
11673 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
11674 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
11675 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
11681 @subsection Agent Expiry
11683 @vindex gnus-agent-expiry-days
11684 @findex gnus-agent-expiry
11685 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expiry
11686 @cindex Agent expiry
11687 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
11690 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
11691 @code{gnus-agent-expiry} command that will expire all read articles that
11692 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expiry-days} days. It can be run
11693 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
11694 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
11695 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
11697 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
11698 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
11699 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
11700 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
11701 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
11704 @node Outgoing Messages
11705 @subsection Outgoing Messages
11707 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
11708 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
11709 after posting, and edit them at will.
11711 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
11712 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
11713 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
11714 messages in the draft group.
11718 @node Agent Variables
11719 @subsection Agent Variables
11722 @item gnus-agent-directory
11723 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
11724 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
11725 @file{~/News/agent/}.
11727 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
11728 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
11729 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
11730 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
11731 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
11734 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11735 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11736 Hook run when connecting to the network.
11738 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11739 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11740 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
11745 @node Example Setup
11746 @subsection Example Setup
11748 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
11749 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
11750 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
11753 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
11754 ;;; from your ISP's server.
11755 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
11757 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
11758 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
11759 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
11760 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
11762 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
11763 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11765 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
11769 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
11770 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
11773 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
11774 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
11775 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
11776 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
11777 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
11780 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
11781 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
11782 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
11783 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
11784 back all the killed groups.)
11786 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
11787 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
11788 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
11791 @node Batching Agents
11792 @subsection Batching Agents
11794 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
11795 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
11796 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
11800 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
11809 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
11810 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
11811 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
11814 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
11815 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
11816 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
11817 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
11818 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
11820 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
11821 before generating the summary buffer.
11823 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
11824 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
11825 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
11827 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
11828 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
11829 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
11830 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
11833 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
11834 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
11835 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
11836 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
11837 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
11838 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
11839 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
11840 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
11841 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
11842 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
11843 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
11844 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
11845 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
11846 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
11847 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
11848 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
11852 @node Summary Score Commands
11853 @section Summary Score Commands
11854 @cindex score commands
11856 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
11857 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
11858 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
11859 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
11860 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
11862 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
11863 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
11864 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
11865 score file the current one.
11867 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
11872 @kindex V s (Summary)
11873 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
11874 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
11877 @kindex V S (Summary)
11878 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
11879 Display the score of the current article
11880 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
11883 @kindex V t (Summary)
11884 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
11885 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
11886 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
11889 @kindex V R (Summary)
11890 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
11891 Run the current summary through the scoring process
11892 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
11893 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
11894 effect you're having.
11897 @kindex V c (Summary)
11898 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
11899 Make a different score file the current
11900 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
11903 @kindex V e (Summary)
11904 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
11905 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
11906 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
11910 @kindex V f (Summary)
11911 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
11912 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
11913 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
11916 @kindex V F (Summary)
11917 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
11918 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
11919 after editing score files.
11922 @kindex V C (Summary)
11923 @findex gnus-score-customize
11924 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
11925 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
11929 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
11934 @kindex V m (Summary)
11935 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
11936 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
11937 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
11940 @kindex V x (Summary)
11941 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
11942 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
11943 expunge all articles below this score
11944 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
11947 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
11948 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
11951 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
11952 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
11956 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
11957 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
11959 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
11960 keys are available:
11964 Score on the author name.
11967 Score on the subject line.
11970 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
11973 Score on thread---the References line.
11979 Score on the number of lines.
11982 Score on the Message-ID.
11985 Score on followups.
11995 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
11996 what headers you are scoring on.
12008 Substring matching.
12011 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12040 Greater than number.
12045 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12046 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12047 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12051 Temporary score entry.
12054 Permanent score entry.
12057 Immediately scoring.
12062 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12063 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12064 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12065 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12067 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12068 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12069 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12070 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12071 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12073 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12074 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12075 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12076 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12077 current score file.
12079 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12080 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12081 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12084 @node Group Score Commands
12085 @section Group Score Commands
12086 @cindex group score commands
12088 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12093 @kindex W f (Group)
12094 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12095 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12096 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12097 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12101 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12103 @findex gnus-batch-score
12104 @cindex batch scoring
12106 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l gnus -f gnus-batch-score
12110 @node Score Variables
12111 @section Score Variables
12112 @cindex score variables
12116 @item gnus-use-scoring
12117 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12118 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12119 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12121 @item gnus-kill-killed
12122 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12123 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12124 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12125 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12126 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12127 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12128 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12130 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12131 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12132 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12133 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12134 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12136 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12137 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12138 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12139 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12141 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12142 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12143 @cindex score cache
12144 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12145 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12146 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
12147 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12148 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12149 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12152 @item gnus-save-score
12153 @vindex gnus-save-score
12154 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12155 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12156 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12158 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12159 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12160 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12161 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12162 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12163 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12164 manually entered data.
12166 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12167 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12168 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12170 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12171 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12172 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12173 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12174 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12175 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12177 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12178 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12179 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12180 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12182 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12183 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12184 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12185 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12187 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12188 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12189 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12190 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12192 Predefined functions available are:
12195 @item gnus-score-find-single
12196 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12197 Only apply the group's own score file.
12199 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12200 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12201 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12202 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12203 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12204 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12205 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12206 then a regexp match is done.
12208 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12209 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12211 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12212 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12213 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12214 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12216 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12217 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12218 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12219 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12220 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12223 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12224 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12225 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12226 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12227 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12228 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12231 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12232 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12233 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12234 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12235 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12237 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12238 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12239 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12240 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12241 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12242 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12243 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12246 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12247 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12248 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12250 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12251 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12252 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12253 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12254 threading---according to the current value of
12255 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12256 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12257 simplified in this manner.
12262 @node Score File Format
12263 @section Score File Format
12264 @cindex score file format
12266 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12267 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12268 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12270 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12274 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12276 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12278 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12280 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12285 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12289 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12290 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12291 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12292 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12296 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12297 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12299 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12300 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12301 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12303 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12308 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12309 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12310 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12311 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12312 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12313 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12314 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12315 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12316 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12317 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12318 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12319 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12320 to articles that matches these score entries.
12322 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12323 score entry has one to four elements.
12327 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12328 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12332 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12333 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12334 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12335 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12336 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12337 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12340 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12341 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12342 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12343 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12344 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12347 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12348 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12349 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12350 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12353 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12354 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12355 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12356 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12357 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12358 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12359 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12360 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12361 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12362 instead, if you feel like.
12365 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12366 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
12368 These predicates are true if
12371 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
12374 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
12375 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
12382 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
12383 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
12384 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
12385 it's not. I think.)
12387 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
12388 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
12389 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
12390 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
12393 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12394 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12395 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12396 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12397 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12398 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12399 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12403 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12404 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12405 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12406 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12407 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12408 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12409 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12410 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12413 @item Head, Body, All
12414 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12418 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12419 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12420 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12421 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12422 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12423 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12424 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12428 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12429 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12430 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12431 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12432 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12433 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12434 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12435 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12436 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12437 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12441 @cindex Score File Atoms
12443 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12444 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12447 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12448 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12450 @item mark-and-expunge
12451 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12452 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12455 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12456 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12457 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12458 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12459 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12462 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12463 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12466 @item exclude-files
12467 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12468 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12472 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12473 ignored when handling global score files.
12476 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12477 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
12478 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
12479 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
12482 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12483 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12484 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12485 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12487 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12491 (mark-and-expunge -100)
12494 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
12495 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
12496 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
12497 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
12498 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
12500 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
12501 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
12502 ordinary scoring rules.
12505 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
12506 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
12507 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
12508 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
12509 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
12510 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
12511 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12512 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
12513 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
12514 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
12515 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
12519 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
12520 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
12521 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
12522 file for a number of groups.
12525 @cindex local variables
12526 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
12527 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
12528 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
12529 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
12530 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
12534 @node Score File Editing
12535 @section Score File Editing
12537 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
12538 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
12539 with a mode for that.
12541 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
12542 additional commands:
12547 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
12548 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
12549 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
12550 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
12553 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
12554 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
12555 Insert the current date in numerical format
12556 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
12557 you were wondering.
12560 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
12561 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
12562 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
12563 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
12564 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
12569 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
12571 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
12572 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
12574 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
12575 e} to begin editing score files.
12578 @node Adaptive Scoring
12579 @section Adaptive Scoring
12580 @cindex adaptive scoring
12582 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
12583 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
12584 stupidity, to be precise.
12586 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
12587 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
12588 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
12589 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
12590 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12591 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
12592 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
12593 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
12594 variable to @code{(word line)}.
12596 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12597 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
12598 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
12599 might look something like this:
12602 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12603 '((gnus-unread-mark)
12604 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
12605 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
12606 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
12607 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
12608 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
12609 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
12610 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
12611 (gnus-ancient-mark)
12612 (gnus-low-score-mark)
12613 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
12616 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
12617 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
12618 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
12619 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
12620 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
12621 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
12624 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
12625 will be applied to each article.
12627 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
12628 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
12629 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
12630 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
12632 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
12633 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
12634 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
12635 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
12637 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
12638 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
12639 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
12640 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
12642 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
12643 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
12644 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
12645 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
12646 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
12647 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
12649 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
12650 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
12651 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
12652 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
12653 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
12654 aspirins afterwards.)
12656 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
12657 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
12658 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
12660 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
12661 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
12662 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
12664 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
12665 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
12666 let you use different rules in different groups.
12668 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
12669 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
12670 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
12673 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
12674 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
12675 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
12676 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
12677 the length of the match is less than
12678 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
12679 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
12682 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12683 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
12684 headers. If you adapt on words, the
12685 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
12686 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
12689 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12690 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
12691 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
12692 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
12693 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
12696 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
12697 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
12698 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
12699 score with 30 points.
12701 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
12702 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
12703 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
12704 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
12705 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
12707 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
12708 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
12709 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
12710 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
12712 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
12713 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
12714 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
12715 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
12717 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
12718 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
12719 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
12721 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
12722 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
12723 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
12724 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
12727 @node Home Score File
12728 @section Home Score File
12730 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
12731 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
12732 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
12733 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
12735 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
12736 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
12737 could perhaps use the same home score file.
12739 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
12740 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
12745 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
12749 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
12750 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
12754 A list. The elements in this list can be:
12758 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
12759 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
12762 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
12763 the home score file.
12766 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
12769 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
12774 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
12777 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12778 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
12781 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
12782 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
12784 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
12786 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12787 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
12790 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
12791 Other functions include
12794 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
12795 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
12796 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
12797 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
12801 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
12802 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
12803 their own home score files:
12806 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12807 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
12808 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
12809 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
12810 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
12813 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
12814 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
12815 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
12816 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
12817 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
12819 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
12820 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
12821 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
12822 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
12823 precedence over this variable.
12826 @node Followups To Yourself
12827 @section Followups To Yourself
12829 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
12830 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
12831 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
12832 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
12833 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
12834 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
12838 @item gnus-score-followup-article
12839 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
12840 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
12843 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
12844 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
12845 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
12849 @vindex message-sent-hook
12850 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
12851 @code{message-sent-hook}.
12853 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
12854 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
12858 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12859 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12862 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
12863 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
12868 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
12872 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
12873 is system-dependent.
12877 @section Scoring Tips
12878 @cindex scoring tips
12884 @cindex scoring crossposts
12885 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
12886 the @code{Xref} header.
12888 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
12891 @item Multiple crossposts
12892 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
12893 more than, say, 3 groups:
12895 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
12898 @item Matching on the body
12899 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
12900 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
12901 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
12902 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
12903 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
12904 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
12905 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
12908 @item Marking as read
12909 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
12910 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
12911 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
12915 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
12917 @item Negated character classes
12918 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
12919 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
12920 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
12924 @node Reverse Scoring
12925 @section Reverse Scoring
12926 @cindex reverse scoring
12928 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
12929 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
12930 like this in your score file:
12934 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
12939 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
12940 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
12943 @node Global Score Files
12944 @section Global Score Files
12945 @cindex global score files
12947 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
12948 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
12949 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
12951 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
12952 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
12953 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
12955 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
12956 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
12957 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
12958 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
12959 files are applicable to which group.
12961 Say you want to use the score file
12962 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
12963 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
12966 (setq gnus-global-score-files
12967 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
12968 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
12971 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
12972 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
12973 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
12974 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
12975 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
12977 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
12978 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
12980 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
12981 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
12982 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
12983 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
12984 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
12985 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
12987 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
12993 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
12995 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
12997 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
12999 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13000 lowered out of existence.
13002 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13003 articles completely.
13006 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13007 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13008 old articles for a long time.
13011 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13012 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13013 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13014 holding our breath yet?
13018 @section Kill Files
13021 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13022 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13023 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13025 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13026 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13027 files into score files.
13029 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13030 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13031 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13032 that isn't a very good idea.
13034 Normal kill files look like this:
13037 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13038 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13042 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13043 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13045 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13046 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13049 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13054 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13055 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13056 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13059 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13060 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13061 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13064 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13069 @kindex M-k (Group)
13070 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13071 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13074 @kindex M-K (Group)
13075 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13076 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13079 Kill file variables:
13082 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13083 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13084 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13085 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13086 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13087 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13088 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13090 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13091 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13092 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13093 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13096 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13097 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13098 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13099 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13100 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13101 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13102 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13103 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13104 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13106 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13107 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13108 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13113 @node Converting Kill Files
13114 @section Converting Kill Files
13116 @cindex converting kill files
13118 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13119 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13120 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13123 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13124 You can fetch it from
13125 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13127 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13128 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13129 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13137 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13138 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13139 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13141 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13142 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13143 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13144 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13145 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13146 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13147 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13148 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13152 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13153 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13154 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13155 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13159 @node Using GroupLens
13160 @subsection Using GroupLens
13162 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13164 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13165 better bit in town at the moment.
13167 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13171 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13172 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13173 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13174 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13176 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13177 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13178 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13179 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13181 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13182 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13183 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13187 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13188 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13189 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13190 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13191 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13192 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13195 @node Rating Articles
13196 @subsection Rating Articles
13198 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13199 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13200 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13201 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13204 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13209 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13210 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13211 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13214 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13215 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13216 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13217 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13218 threads in rec.humor.
13222 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13223 the score of the article you're reading.
13228 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13229 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13230 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13233 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13234 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13235 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13239 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13240 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13243 @node Displaying Predictions
13244 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13246 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13247 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13248 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13249 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13250 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13252 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13253 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13254 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13255 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13256 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13257 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13258 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13259 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13260 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13261 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13262 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13263 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13264 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13266 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13267 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13268 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13269 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13271 The following are valid values for that variable.
13274 @item prediction-spot
13275 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13278 @item confidence-interval
13279 A numeric confidence interval.
13281 @item prediction-bar
13282 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13284 @item confidence-bar
13285 Numerical confidence.
13287 @item confidence-spot
13288 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13290 @item prediction-num
13291 Plain-old numeric value.
13293 @item confidence-plus-minus
13294 Prediction +/- confidence.
13299 @node GroupLens Variables
13300 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13304 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13305 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13306 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13307 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13310 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13311 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13314 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13315 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13317 @item grouplens-score-offset
13318 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13319 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13322 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13323 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13324 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13329 @node Advanced Scoring
13330 @section Advanced Scoring
13332 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13333 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13334 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13335 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13336 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13338 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13342 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13343 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13344 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13348 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13349 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13351 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13352 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13353 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13354 non-@code{nil} value.
13356 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13357 operator, and various match operators.
13364 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13365 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13366 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13371 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13372 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13373 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13378 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13379 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13383 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13384 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13385 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13386 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13387 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13388 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13389 the ancestry you want to go.
13391 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13392 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13393 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13394 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13395 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13398 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13399 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13401 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13402 when he's talking about Gnus:
13406 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13407 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13413 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13417 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13424 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13425 really don't want to read what he's written:
13429 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13430 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13434 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13435 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13436 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13443 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13444 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13445 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13446 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13450 The possibilities are endless.
13453 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13454 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13456 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13457 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13458 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13459 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13460 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13461 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13462 @samp{subject}) first.
13464 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13465 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13476 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13477 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13483 ("subject" "Gnus")))
13490 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
13491 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
13496 @section Score Decays
13497 @cindex score decays
13500 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
13501 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
13502 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
13503 use them in any sensible way.
13505 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
13506 @findex gnus-decay-score
13507 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
13508 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
13509 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
13510 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
13511 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
13512 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
13513 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
13514 definition of that function:
13517 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
13518 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant' and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
13521 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
13523 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
13525 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
13528 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
13529 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
13530 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
13531 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
13535 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
13538 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
13541 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
13545 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
13546 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
13547 the new score, which should be an integer.
13549 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
13550 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
13557 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
13558 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
13559 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
13560 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
13561 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
13562 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
13563 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
13564 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
13565 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
13566 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
13567 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
13568 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
13569 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
13570 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
13571 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
13572 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
13573 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
13574 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
13578 @node Process/Prefix
13579 @section Process/Prefix
13580 @cindex process/prefix convention
13582 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
13583 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
13585 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
13586 command to be performed on.
13590 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
13591 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
13592 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
13593 with the current one.
13595 @vindex transient-mark-mode
13596 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
13597 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
13599 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
13600 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
13603 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
13604 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
13606 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
13609 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
13610 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
13611 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
13612 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13614 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
13615 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
13616 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
13617 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
13618 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
13619 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
13620 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
13621 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
13625 @section Interactive
13626 @cindex interaction
13630 @item gnus-novice-user
13631 @vindex gnus-novice-user
13632 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
13633 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
13634 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
13635 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
13638 @item gnus-expert-user
13639 @vindex gnus-expert-user
13640 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
13641 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
13642 matter how strange.
13644 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
13645 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
13646 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
13647 is @code{t} by default.
13649 @item gnus-interactive-exit
13650 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
13651 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13656 @node Symbolic Prefixes
13657 @section Symbolic Prefixes
13658 @cindex symbolic prefixes
13660 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
13661 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
13662 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
13663 rule of 900 to the current article.
13665 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
13666 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
13667 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
13668 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
13669 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
13670 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
13671 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
13673 @kindex M-i (Summary)
13674 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
13675 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
13676 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
13677 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
13678 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
13679 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
13680 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
13681 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
13683 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
13684 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
13685 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
13687 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
13691 @node Formatting Variables
13692 @section Formatting Variables
13693 @cindex formatting variables
13695 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
13696 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
13697 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
13698 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
13699 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
13702 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
13703 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
13704 lots of percentages everywhere.
13707 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
13708 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
13709 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
13710 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
13711 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
13714 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
13715 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
13716 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
13717 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
13718 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
13719 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
13720 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
13721 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
13723 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
13724 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
13726 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
13727 @findex gnus-update-format
13728 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
13729 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
13730 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
13731 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
13735 @node Formatting Basics
13736 @subsection Formatting Basics
13738 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
13739 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
13740 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
13742 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
13743 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
13744 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
13745 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
13746 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
13749 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
13750 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
13751 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
13752 less than 4 characters wide.
13755 @node Mode Line Formatting
13756 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
13758 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
13759 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
13760 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
13761 with the following two differences:
13766 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
13769 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
13770 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
13771 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
13772 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
13773 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
13774 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
13775 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
13780 @node Advanced Formatting
13781 @subsection Advanced Formatting
13783 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
13784 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
13785 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
13786 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
13788 These are the valid modifiers:
13793 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
13797 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
13802 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
13805 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
13810 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
13813 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
13816 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
13819 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
13823 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
13824 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
13825 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
13826 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
13827 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
13828 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
13829 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
13831 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
13832 last operation, padding.
13834 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
13835 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
13836 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
13837 @xref{Compilation}.
13840 @node User-Defined Specs
13841 @subsection User-Defined Specs
13843 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
13844 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
13845 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
13846 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
13847 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
13848 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
13849 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
13850 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
13851 should protect against that.
13853 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
13854 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
13855 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
13856 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
13860 @node Formatting Fonts
13861 @subsection Formatting Fonts
13863 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
13864 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
13865 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
13866 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
13869 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
13870 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
13871 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
13872 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
13873 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
13874 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
13876 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
13879 ;; Create three face types.
13880 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
13881 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
13883 ;; We want the article count to be in
13884 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
13885 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
13886 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
13888 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
13889 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
13891 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
13892 (setq gnus-group-line-format
13893 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
13896 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
13897 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
13899 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
13900 mode-line variables.
13903 @node Windows Configuration
13904 @section Windows Configuration
13905 @cindex windows configuration
13907 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
13909 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
13910 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
13911 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
13912 @code{t} by default.
13914 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
13915 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
13916 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
13919 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
13920 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
13921 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13925 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
13926 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
13927 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
13928 possible names is listed below.
13930 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
13931 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
13934 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13938 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
13939 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
13940 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
13941 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
13942 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
13943 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
13944 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
13945 size spec per split.
13947 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
13948 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
13949 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
13950 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
13951 present) gets focus.
13953 Here's a more complicated example:
13956 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
13957 (summary 0.25 point)
13958 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
13962 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
13963 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
13964 occupy, not a percentage.
13966 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
13967 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
13968 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
13969 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
13970 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
13973 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
13976 (article (horizontal 1.0
13981 (summary 0.25 point)
13986 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
13987 @code{horizontal} thingie?
13989 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
13990 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
13991 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
13992 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
13993 the screen is to be given to this strip.
13995 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
13996 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
13997 lines from the splits.
13999 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14003 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14004 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14005 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14006 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14007 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14008 size = number | frame-params
14009 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14012 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14013 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14014 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14015 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14017 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14018 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14019 @cindex window height
14020 @cindex window width
14021 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14022 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14023 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14024 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14025 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14026 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14028 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14029 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14030 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14031 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14033 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14034 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14035 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14036 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14037 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14038 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14039 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14040 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14041 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14042 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14043 configuration list.
14046 (gnus-configure-frame
14050 (article 0.3 point))
14058 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14059 @code{frame} split:
14062 (gnus-configure-frame
14065 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14067 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14068 (user-position . t)
14069 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14074 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14075 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14076 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14077 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14078 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14079 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14080 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14081 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14084 Here's a list of all possible keys for
14085 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
14087 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
14088 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
14089 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
14090 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
14091 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
14092 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
14094 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14095 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14096 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14100 (message (horizontal 1.0
14101 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14103 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14108 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14109 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14110 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14111 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14112 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14115 (gnus-add-configuration
14116 '(article (vertical 1.0
14118 (summary .25 point)
14122 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14123 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14124 Gnus has been loaded.
14126 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14127 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14128 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14129 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14130 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14133 @node Faces and Fonts
14134 @section Faces and Fonts
14139 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14140 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14141 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14146 @section Compilation
14147 @cindex compilation
14148 @cindex byte-compilation
14150 @findex gnus-compile
14152 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14153 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14154 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14155 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14156 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14157 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14160 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14161 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14162 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14163 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14164 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14165 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14166 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14170 @section Mode Lines
14173 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14174 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14175 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14176 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14177 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14178 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14179 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14182 @cindex display-time
14184 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14185 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14186 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14187 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14188 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14189 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14190 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14191 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14194 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14196 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14197 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14199 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14200 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14201 (length display-time-string)))))
14204 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14205 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14206 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14207 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14208 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14211 @node Highlighting and Menus
14212 @section Highlighting and Menus
14214 @cindex highlighting
14217 @vindex gnus-visual
14218 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14219 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14220 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14223 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14224 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14227 @item group-highlight
14228 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14229 @item summary-highlight
14230 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14231 @item article-highlight
14232 Do highlights in the article buffer.
14234 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14236 Create menus in the group buffer.
14238 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14240 Create menus in the article buffer.
14242 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14244 Create menus in the server buffer.
14246 Create menus in the score buffers.
14248 Create menus in all buffers.
14251 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14252 buffers, you could say something like:
14255 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14258 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14261 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14264 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14265 in all Gnus buffers.
14267 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14270 @item gnus-mouse-face
14271 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14272 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14273 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14277 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14281 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14282 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14283 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14285 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14286 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14287 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14289 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14290 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14291 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14293 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14294 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14295 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14297 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14298 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14299 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14301 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14302 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14303 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14314 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14315 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14316 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14317 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14318 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14322 @vindex gnus-carpal
14323 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14324 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14325 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14330 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14331 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14332 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14334 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14335 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14336 Face used on buttons.
14338 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14339 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14340 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14342 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14343 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14344 Buttons in the group buffer.
14346 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14347 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14348 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14350 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14351 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14352 Buttons in the server buffer.
14354 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14355 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14356 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14359 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14360 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14361 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14369 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14370 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14371 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14372 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14373 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14375 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14376 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14377 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14379 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14380 been idle for thirty minutes:
14383 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14386 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14390 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14393 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14394 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14395 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14397 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14398 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14399 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14400 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14402 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14403 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14404 @var{idle} minutes.
14406 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14407 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14410 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14411 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14412 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14414 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14415 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14416 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
14417 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
14419 @vindex gnus-use-demon
14420 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
14421 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
14423 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
14424 your @file{.gnus} file:
14426 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
14428 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
14431 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
14432 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
14433 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
14434 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
14435 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
14436 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
14437 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
14438 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
14439 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
14440 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
14441 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
14443 @findex gnus-demon-init
14444 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
14445 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
14446 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
14447 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14448 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14450 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
14451 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14452 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14461 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14462 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14464 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14465 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14466 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14467 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14470 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14471 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14472 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14473 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14475 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
14476 this will make spam disappear.
14478 There are some variables to customize, of course:
14481 @item gnus-use-nocem
14482 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
14483 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
14486 @item gnus-nocem-groups
14487 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
14488 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
14489 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
14490 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
14492 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
14493 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
14494 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
14495 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
14496 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
14497 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
14498 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
14500 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
14503 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
14504 @cindex Chris Lewis
14505 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
14506 usenet abuse than anybody else.
14509 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
14510 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
14511 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
14513 @item jem@@xpat.com;
14515 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
14518 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
14519 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
14520 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
14523 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
14524 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
14525 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
14526 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
14527 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
14528 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
14529 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
14530 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
14531 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
14532 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
14534 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
14535 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
14538 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
14541 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
14542 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
14545 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
14548 The specs are applied left-to-right.
14551 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
14552 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
14554 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
14555 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
14556 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
14557 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
14559 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
14560 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
14563 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
14565 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
14573 This might be dangerous, though.
14575 @item gnus-nocem-directory
14576 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
14577 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
14578 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
14580 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14581 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14582 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
14583 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
14584 might then see old spam.
14588 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
14589 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
14590 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
14591 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
14598 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
14599 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
14600 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
14602 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
14603 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
14604 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
14605 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
14606 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
14607 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
14608 @code{undo} function.
14610 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
14611 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
14612 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
14613 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
14614 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
14615 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
14616 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
14617 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
14618 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
14619 never be totally undoable.
14621 @findex gnus-undo-mode
14622 @vindex gnus-use-undo
14624 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
14625 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
14626 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
14627 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
14632 @section Moderation
14635 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
14636 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
14637 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
14640 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
14644 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
14647 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
14649 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
14654 You split your incoming mail by matching on
14655 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
14656 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
14659 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
14660 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
14663 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
14664 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
14668 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
14671 (setq gnus-moderated-list
14672 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
14676 @node XEmacs Enhancements
14677 @section XEmacs Enhancements
14680 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
14684 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
14685 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
14686 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
14687 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
14700 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
14701 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
14702 over your shoulder as you read news.
14705 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
14706 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
14707 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
14708 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
14709 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
14714 @subsubsection Picon Basics
14716 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
14725 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
14726 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
14727 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
14728 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
14729 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
14730 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
14731 @code{GIF} formats.
14734 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14735 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
14736 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
14737 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string
14738 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
14740 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14741 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
14742 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at
14743 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
14744 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
14745 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14748 @node Picon Requirements
14749 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
14751 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
14752 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
14755 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
14756 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
14757 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
14759 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14760 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
14761 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
14762 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
14763 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
14767 @subsubsection Easy Picons
14769 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
14770 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
14773 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
14774 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14775 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
14778 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
14779 containing the Picons databases.
14781 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
14784 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
14789 @subsubsection Hard Picons
14797 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
14798 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
14799 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
14800 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
14801 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
14806 @item gnus-picons-database
14807 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14808 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
14809 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
14810 subdirectories. This is only useful if
14811 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
14812 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
14814 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14815 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14816 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
14817 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
14818 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
14819 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
14820 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14822 @item gnus-picons-display-where
14823 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14824 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
14825 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
14826 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
14827 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
14828 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
14829 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
14831 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14832 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14833 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
14838 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
14839 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
14841 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
14842 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
14845 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
14846 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14848 @item gnus-article-display-picons
14849 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14850 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
14851 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
14852 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14854 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
14855 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14856 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
14857 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14861 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
14862 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
14865 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14869 @node Picon Useless Configuration
14870 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
14878 The following variables offer further control over how things are
14879 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
14880 don't need to worry about.
14884 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
14885 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
14886 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14887 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
14889 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
14890 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
14891 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
14892 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
14894 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
14895 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
14896 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14897 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
14898 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
14900 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14901 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14902 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
14903 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
14904 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
14905 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
14906 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
14908 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14909 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14910 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
14911 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
14913 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14914 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14915 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
14916 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
14917 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
14918 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
14919 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
14921 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14922 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14923 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
14924 Defaults to @code{nil}.
14926 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
14927 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
14928 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
14929 Defaults to @code{t}.
14931 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14932 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14933 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
14934 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
14936 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14937 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14938 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
14939 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
14941 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14942 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14943 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
14944 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
14945 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
14946 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
14947 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
14948 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
14959 @subsection Smileys
14964 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
14969 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
14970 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
14972 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
14973 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14976 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
14979 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
14980 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
14981 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
14982 text and maps that to file names.
14984 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
14985 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
14986 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
14987 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
14988 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
14989 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
14991 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
14992 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
14994 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
14995 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
14996 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
14998 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
14999 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15003 @item smiley-data-directory
15004 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15005 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15007 @item smiley-flesh-color
15008 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15009 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15011 @item smiley-features-color
15012 @vindex smiley-features-color
15013 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15015 @item smiley-tongue-color
15016 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15017 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15019 @item smiley-circle-color
15020 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15021 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15023 @item smiley-mouse-face
15024 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15025 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15031 @subsection Toolbar
15041 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15042 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15043 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15044 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15045 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15047 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15048 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15049 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15051 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15052 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15053 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15055 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15056 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15057 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15063 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15066 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15067 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15068 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15069 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15070 unusual directory structure.
15072 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15073 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15074 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15075 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15077 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15078 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15079 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15080 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15081 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15082 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15084 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15085 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15086 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15100 @node Fuzzy Matching
15101 @section Fuzzy Matching
15102 @cindex fuzzy matching
15104 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15105 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15107 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15108 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15109 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15111 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15112 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15113 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15114 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15115 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15118 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15119 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15123 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15125 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15126 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15127 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15128 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15129 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15130 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15131 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15132 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15135 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15136 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15137 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15138 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15139 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15140 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15144 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15145 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15147 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15148 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15149 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15150 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15151 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15152 part of the mail address.)
15155 (setq message-default-news-headers
15156 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15159 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15160 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15165 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15166 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15167 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15173 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15174 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15175 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15176 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15178 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15179 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15180 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15181 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15182 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15183 your fancy split rule in this way:
15188 (to "larsi" "misc")
15192 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15193 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15194 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15195 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15196 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15198 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15199 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15200 at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15201 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15202 cosmic balance somewhat.
15204 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15205 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15206 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15207 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15210 @node Various Various
15211 @section Various Various
15217 @item gnus-home-directory
15218 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15219 defaults to @file{~/}.
15221 @item gnus-directory
15222 @vindex gnus-directory
15223 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15224 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15225 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15227 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15228 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15229 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15230 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15232 @item gnus-default-directory
15233 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15234 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15235 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15236 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15237 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15238 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15239 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15242 @vindex gnus-verbose
15243 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15244 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15245 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15246 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15247 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15249 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15250 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15251 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15252 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15254 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15255 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15256 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15257 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15258 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15259 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15260 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15261 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15262 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15263 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15265 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15266 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15267 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15268 read when doing the operation described above.
15270 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15271 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15273 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15274 @cindex characters in file names
15275 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15276 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15277 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15280 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15284 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15285 Windows (phooey) systems.
15287 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15288 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15289 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15290 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15291 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15293 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15294 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15295 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15296 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15297 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15299 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15300 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15301 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15310 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15311 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15313 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15315 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15321 Not because of victories @*
15324 but for the common sunshine,@*
15326 the largess of the spring.
15330 but for the day's work done@*
15331 as well as I was able;@*
15332 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15333 but at the common table.@*
15338 @chapter Appendices
15341 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15342 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15343 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15344 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15345 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15346 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15347 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15355 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15356 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15358 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15359 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15360 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15361 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15362 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15364 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15365 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15366 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15367 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15368 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15369 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15371 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15372 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15373 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15374 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15376 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15377 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15378 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15380 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15381 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15383 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15384 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
15386 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
15387 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6.27' on March 8th 1998.
15389 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15390 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15391 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15392 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15393 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15397 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15398 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15399 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15400 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15401 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15402 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15403 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15410 What's the point of Gnus?
15412 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15413 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
15414 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
15415 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
15416 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
15417 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
15418 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
15419 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
15420 keep track of millions of people who post?
15422 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
15423 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
15424 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
15425 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
15426 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
15427 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
15428 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
15429 every one of you to explore and invent.
15431 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
15432 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
15435 @node Compatibility
15436 @subsection Compatibility
15438 @cindex compatibility
15439 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
15440 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
15441 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
15446 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
15450 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
15453 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
15456 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
15457 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
15458 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
15459 important variables have their values copied into their global
15460 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
15461 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
15463 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
15464 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
15465 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
15466 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
15467 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
15471 @cindex highlighting
15472 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
15473 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
15474 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
15475 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
15476 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
15477 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
15480 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
15481 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
15482 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
15483 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
15485 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
15486 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
15487 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
15488 to stop doing it the old way.
15490 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
15492 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
15494 @cindex reporting bugs
15496 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
15497 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
15498 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
15500 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
15501 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
15502 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
15503 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
15508 @subsection Conformity
15510 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
15511 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
15518 There are no known breaches of this standard.
15522 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
15524 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
15525 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
15526 We do have some breaches to this one.
15531 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
15532 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
15535 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
15536 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
15537 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
15538 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
15539 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
15544 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
15545 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
15550 @subsection Emacsen
15556 Gnus should work on :
15561 Emacs 19.32 and up.
15564 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
15567 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
15571 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
15572 reliably, at least.
15574 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
15575 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
15576 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
15581 @subsection Contributors
15582 @cindex contributors
15584 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
15585 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
15586 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
15587 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
15588 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
15589 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
15590 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
15591 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
15592 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
15593 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
15595 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
15601 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
15604 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
15605 well as numerous other things).
15608 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
15611 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
15614 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
15615 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
15618 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
15621 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
15622 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15625 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
15628 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
15631 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
15634 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
15637 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
15638 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
15641 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
15644 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
15647 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
15650 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
15654 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
15657 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
15660 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
15663 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
15664 well as autoconf support.
15668 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
15669 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
15671 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
15680 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
15684 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
15706 Massimo Campostrini,
15714 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
15720 Michael Welsh Duggan,
15723 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
15727 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
15733 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
15735 Michelangelo Grigni,
15738 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
15740 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
15742 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
15747 François Felix Ingrand,
15748 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
15750 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
15758 Peter Skov Knudsen,
15759 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
15760 Thor Kristoffersen,
15762 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
15779 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
15780 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
15787 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
15791 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
15793 John McClary Prevost,
15798 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
15803 Christian von Roques,
15805 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
15811 Philippe Schnoebelen,
15813 Randal L. Schwartz,
15841 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
15843 Shenghuo Zhu. @c Zhu
15845 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
15846 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
15847 (550kB and counting).
15849 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
15852 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
15853 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
15857 @subsection New Features
15858 @cindex new features
15861 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
15862 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
15863 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
15864 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6.27.
15867 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
15868 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
15869 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
15873 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
15875 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
15880 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
15881 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
15884 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
15885 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
15888 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
15891 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
15892 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
15893 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15896 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
15897 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
15898 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
15899 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
15902 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
15903 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15906 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
15907 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
15908 (@pxref{The Active File}).
15911 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
15912 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
15915 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
15916 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
15917 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
15920 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
15921 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
15922 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
15925 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
15926 the @file{.emacs} file.
15929 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
15930 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15933 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
15934 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
15937 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
15938 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15941 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
15942 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
15945 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
15946 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
15949 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
15952 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
15953 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
15956 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
15957 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
15960 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
15961 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
15964 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
15967 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
15968 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15971 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
15975 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
15979 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
15980 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
15983 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
15989 @node September Gnus
15990 @subsubsection September Gnus
15994 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
15998 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16003 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16004 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16008 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16009 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16013 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16017 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16018 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16021 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16025 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16028 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16031 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16034 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16038 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16039 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16042 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16046 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16050 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16054 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16058 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16061 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16062 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16065 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16069 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16070 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16073 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16076 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16077 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16078 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16081 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16085 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16088 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16092 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16093 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16096 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16097 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16100 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16101 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16104 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16105 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16106 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16109 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16110 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16113 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16116 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16119 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16120 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
16124 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16127 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16130 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16131 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16134 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16138 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16141 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16146 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16149 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16153 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16156 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16160 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16163 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16166 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16167 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16170 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16171 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16175 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16176 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16179 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16183 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16184 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16187 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16190 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16194 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16198 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16199 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16202 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16206 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16207 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16210 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16211 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16214 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16218 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16221 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16222 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16226 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16229 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16235 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16237 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16241 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16248 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16251 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16252 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16255 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16256 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16260 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16261 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16264 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16267 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16268 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16271 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16275 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16276 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16280 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16281 Server Internals}).
16284 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16288 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16291 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16292 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16295 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16296 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16297 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16300 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16301 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16304 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16305 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16308 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16312 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16313 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16316 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16317 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16320 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16324 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16327 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16331 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16332 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16335 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16336 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16339 A new command for reading collections of documents
16340 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16341 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16344 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16348 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16349 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16352 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16353 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16354 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16357 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16358 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16362 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16366 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16370 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16375 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16379 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16383 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16384 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16387 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16390 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16397 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
16399 New features in Gnus 5.6.27:
16404 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
16405 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
16406 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
16409 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
16410 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
16411 group, which is created automatically.
16414 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
16418 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
16421 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
16422 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
16425 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
16429 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
16432 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
16433 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
16436 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
16439 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
16440 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
16443 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
16444 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
16447 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
16448 control over simplification.
16451 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
16454 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
16458 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
16461 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16464 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
16465 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
16466 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
16469 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
16470 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
16473 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
16477 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
16478 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
16481 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
16482 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
16485 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
16489 A history of where mails have been split is available.
16492 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
16495 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
16496 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
16499 A new function for citing in Message has been
16500 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
16503 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
16506 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
16510 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
16511 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
16514 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
16515 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
16518 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
16521 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
16526 @node Newest Features
16527 @subsection Newest Features
16530 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
16533 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
16535 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
16536 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
16539 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
16544 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
16547 Really do unbinhexing.
16550 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
16551 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
16554 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
16557 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
16560 facep is not declared.
16563 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
16564 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
16567 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
16572 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
16573 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
16574 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
16575 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
16576 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
16577 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
16578 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
16583 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
16586 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
16589 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
16591 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
16592 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
16594 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
16596 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
16598 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
16599 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
16601 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
16603 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
16604 be marked as unread.
16606 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
16608 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
16610 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
16611 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
16613 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
16615 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
16617 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
16618 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
16620 topics that contain just groups with ticked
16621 articles aren't displayed.
16623 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
16625 implement gnus-score-thread
16627 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
16628 make the mail groups killed.
16630 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
16632 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
16633 and articles have to be removed.
16635 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
16638 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
16640 finding short score file names takes forever.
16642 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16644 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
16646 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
16648 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
16650 nnweb doesn't work properly.
16652 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
16654 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
16655 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
16659 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
16661 really unbinhex binhex files.
16663 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
16664 bar and the Gnus bar.
16667 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
16668 `(canonize-message-id id)'
16669 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
16670 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
16671 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
16672 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
16677 nnml .overview directory with splits.
16681 postponed commands.
16683 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
16685 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
16688 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
16689 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
16691 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
16692 inherit copy prompts and save files.
16694 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
16696 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
16697 for backends that support that.
16699 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
16701 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
16702 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
16704 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
16705 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
16707 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
16709 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
16711 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
16713 server mode command: close/open all connections
16715 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
16716 has been changed before using it.
16718 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
16720 hide (sub)threads with low score.
16722 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
16724 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
16726 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
16727 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
16729 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
16730 contain groups that match a regexp.
16732 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
16735 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
16738 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
16739 from subject lines.
16741 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
16743 nntp-ping-before-connect
16745 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
16747 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
16748 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
16750 message annotations.
16752 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
16754 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
16755 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
16757 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
16762 support qmail maildir spools
16764 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
16766 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
16768 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
16770 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
16771 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
16773 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
16775 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
16777 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
16778 finds and generate proper active ranges.
16780 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
16781 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
16783 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
16785 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
16787 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
16788 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
16790 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
16792 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
16794 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
16795 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
16798 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
16800 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
16802 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
16803 `C-c C-c' when posting.
16805 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
16808 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
16809 should be marker as expirable.
16811 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
16813 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
16814 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
16816 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
16817 Also consult Date headers.
16819 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
16821 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
16823 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
16824 Message-ID, delete the "original".
16826 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
16827 into a See-Also header.
16829 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
16831 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
16833 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
16834 should be listed as such and not as "K".
16836 generate font names dynamically.
16838 score file mode auto-alist.
16840 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
16841 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
16843 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
16844 absolutely all headers there is.
16846 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
16847 and pipe them to the process.
16849 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
16850 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
16851 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
16853 function for starting to edit a file to put into
16854 the current mail group.
16856 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
16858 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
16859 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
16861 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
16862 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
16864 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
16866 when replying to several process-marked articles,
16867 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
16869 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
16870 groups it has been mailed to.
16872 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
16874 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
16876 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
16878 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
16879 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
16881 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
16882 newlines) should be ignored.
16884 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
16885 groups in subtopics as well.
16887 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
16889 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
16892 add edit and forward secondary marks.
16894 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
16896 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
16898 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
16900 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
16902 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
16904 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
16905 or the formatted article.
16907 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
16909 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
16910 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
16912 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
16914 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
16916 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
16918 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
16919 even unread articles.
16921 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
16923 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
16925 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
16927 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
16929 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16931 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
16934 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
16935 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
16937 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
16938 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
16940 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
16942 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
16944 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
16945 from a particular server? Hm.
16947 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
16948 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
16950 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
16952 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
16953 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
16955 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
16956 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
16958 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
16959 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
16960 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
16963 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
16964 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
16966 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
16968 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
16970 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
16972 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
16975 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
16978 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
16979 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
16981 command to show and edit group scores
16983 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
16986 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
16988 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
16990 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
16991 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
16994 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
16995 that are of that length.
16997 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
16999 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17001 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17003 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17005 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17007 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17009 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17010 a score lower than this number.
17012 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17014 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17016 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17017 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17019 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17021 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17022 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17024 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17027 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17028 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17029 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17030 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17032 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17035 command to remove all topic stuff.
17037 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17038 and splitting the resulting digests.
17040 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17042 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17044 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17045 matches an alist -- before saving.
17047 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17049 variable to activate each group before entering them
17050 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17052 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17053 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17055 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17056 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17058 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17060 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17061 of several groups at once.
17063 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17064 matches some regexp(s).
17066 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17068 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17070 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17072 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17074 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17076 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17078 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17080 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17081 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17082 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17083 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17085 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17086 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17088 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17090 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17091 recently cited text.
17093 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17095 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17098 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17099 server and just read the articles in the server
17101 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17102 value of nnoo variables.
17104 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17106 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17107 listed in each group info.
17109 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17112 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17113 should only be applied to some groups.
17115 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17116 mail-copies-to: never.
17118 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17119 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17121 the slave dribble files should autosave to the slave file names.
17123 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17126 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17129 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17131 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17134 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17138 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17140 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17141 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17142 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17143 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17144 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17146 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at
17147 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17154 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17155 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17157 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17158 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17160 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17161 "Return the date the group was last read."
17162 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17167 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
17168 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
17169 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17170 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17174 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17175 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17177 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17180 They could be used like this:
17184 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17185 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17186 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17188 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17190 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17193 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17196 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17197 affect the summary line format.
17201 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17203 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17204 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17206 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17209 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17211 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17213 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17215 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17217 - For other files, just find them normally.
17219 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17220 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17223 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17224 tell him what you are doing.
17227 Currently, I get prompted:
17231 decend into sci.something ?
17235 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17236 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17237 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17238 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17241 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17242 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
17243 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17244 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17247 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17248 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17254 more than n blank lines
17256 more than m identical lines
17257 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17259 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17263 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17264 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17265 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17266 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17269 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17270 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17271 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17272 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17275 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17278 soup - bowl of soup
17279 score below - dim light bulb
17280 score over - bright light bulb
17283 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17288 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17289 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17290 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17291 if (articles-selected)
17292 start-reading-selected-articles;
17293 junk-unread-articles;
17298 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17299 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17300 select-thread-under-cursor;
17302 select-article-under-cursor;
17306 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17307 if (more-pages-in-article)
17309 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17316 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17317 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17318 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17321 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17322 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17323 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17324 the wildcard expression).
17327 It would be nice if it also handled
17329 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17331 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17336 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17337 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17338 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17339 article versions) variable.
17341 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17343 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17344 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17348 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17351 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17352 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17353 (message-sent-hook).
17355 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17358 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17362 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17363 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17366 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17367 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17368 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17371 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17372 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17376 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17379 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17383 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17384 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17387 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17388 value of the signature file.
17391 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17392 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17395 (setq message-tab-alist
17396 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17397 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17399 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
17403 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
17406 a command to import a buffer into a group.
17409 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
17412 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
17413 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
17416 a command to process mark all unread articles.
17419 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
17420 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
17421 do more gathering by subject.
17424 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
17425 article numerical order.
17428 (gnus-thread-total-score
17429 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
17433 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
17436 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
17437 in the summary buffer.
17440 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
17441 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
17444 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
17445 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
17446 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
17447 and/or newsgroup name.
17450 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
17453 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
17456 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
17459 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
17460 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
17461 will automatically get the process mark.
17464 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
17465 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
17466 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
17469 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
17473 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
17474 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
17477 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
17478 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
17482 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
17483 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
17486 be able to post via DejaNews.
17489 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
17492 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
17493 allow them to be displayed separately.
17496 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
17497 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
17500 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
17501 articles that match a certain From header.
17504 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
17505 saving living summary buffers.
17508 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
17509 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
17512 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
17513 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
17516 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
17517 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
17520 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
17521 (goto-char (point-min))
17522 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
17523 (replace-match "`" t t))
17524 (goto-char (point-min))
17525 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
17526 (replace-match "'" t t))
17527 (goto-char (point-min))
17528 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
17529 (replace-match "\"" t t))
17530 (goto-char (point-min))
17531 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
17532 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
17537 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
17539 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
17540 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
17541 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
17542 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
17546 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
17549 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
17550 numbers and match on the age of the article.
17553 gnus-cacheable-groups
17557 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
17558 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
17559 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
17561 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
17562 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
17564 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
17565 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
17570 all commands that react to the process mark should push
17571 the current process mark set onto the stack.
17574 gnus-article-hide-pgp
17575 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
17577 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
17579 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
17580 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
17583 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
17584 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
17587 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
17591 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
17592 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
17595 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
17598 nndraft-request-group should tally autosave files.
17601 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
17604 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
17608 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
17614 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
17617 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
17621 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
17622 X characters in the body.
17625 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
17628 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
17631 format spec to "tab" to a position.
17634 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
17637 command to display all dormant articles.
17640 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
17643 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
17644 to something someone else has said.
17647 Read Netscape discussion groups:
17648 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
17651 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
17652 the displayed version.
17655 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
17659 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
17662 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
17663 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
17664 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
17668 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
17669 in the head or body.
17672 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
17675 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
17678 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
17679 in a special, unique buffer.
17682 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
17685 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
17686 is less than a certain number of days old.
17689 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
17692 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
17695 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
17696 file, for instance.
17699 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
17700 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
17701 dummy root instead of the first article.
17704 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
17705 topics for displaying.
17708 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
17709 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
17712 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
17715 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
17716 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
17717 summary buffer for each article.
17720 Solve the halting problem.
17729 @section The Manual
17733 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
17734 either @code{texi2dvi}
17736 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
17737 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
17739 to get what you hold in your hands now.
17741 The following conventions have been used:
17746 This is a @samp{string}
17749 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
17752 This is a @file{file}
17755 This is a @code{symbol}
17759 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
17763 (setq flargnoze "yes")
17766 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
17769 (setq flumphel 'yes)
17772 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
17773 ever get them confused.
17777 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
17778 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
17779 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
17780 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
17781 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
17782 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
17783 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
17791 @section Terminology
17793 @cindex terminology
17798 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
17799 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
17800 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
17801 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
17802 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
17806 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
17807 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
17808 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
17809 not posting, and replying is not following up.
17813 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
17817 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
17822 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
17823 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
17824 is all done by the backends.
17828 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
17829 default, way of getting news.
17833 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
17834 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
17839 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
17840 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
17844 A message that has been posted as news.
17847 @cindex mail message
17848 A message that has been mailed.
17852 A mail message or news article
17856 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
17861 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
17866 A line from the head of an article.
17870 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
17871 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
17875 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
17876 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
17877 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
17878 normal @sc{head} format.
17882 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
17883 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
17884 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
17885 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
17886 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
17887 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
17889 @item killed groups
17890 @cindex killed groups
17891 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
17892 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
17894 @item zombie groups
17895 @cindex zombie groups
17896 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
17899 @cindex active file
17900 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
17901 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
17902 is rather large, as you might surmise.
17905 @cindex bogus groups
17906 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
17907 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
17908 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
17911 @cindex activating groups
17912 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
17913 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
17914 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
17918 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
17920 @item select method
17921 @cindex select method
17922 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
17925 @item virtual server
17926 @cindex virtual server
17927 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
17928 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
17929 whole is a virtual server.
17933 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
17934 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
17937 @item ephemeral groups
17938 @cindex ephemeral groups
17939 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
17940 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
17941 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
17944 @cindex solid groups
17945 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
17946 group buffer are solid groups.
17948 @item sparse articles
17949 @cindex sparse articles
17950 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
17951 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
17955 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
17956 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
17960 @cindex thread root
17961 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
17962 articles in the thread.
17966 An article that has responses.
17970 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
17974 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
17975 specified by RFC1153.
17981 @node Customization
17982 @section Customization
17983 @cindex general customization
17985 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
17986 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
17987 for some quite common situations.
17990 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
17991 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
17992 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
17993 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
17997 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
17998 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18000 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18001 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18002 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18006 @item gnus-read-active-file
18007 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18008 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18009 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18010 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18011 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18013 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18014 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18015 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18016 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18020 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18021 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18023 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18024 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18025 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18029 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18030 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18031 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18032 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18033 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18035 @item gnus-visible-headers
18036 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18037 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18038 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18039 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18041 @item gnus-article-display-hook
18042 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18044 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
18045 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
18046 gnus-article-hide-citation))
18049 @item gnus-use-full-window
18050 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18051 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18052 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18053 want to read them anyway.
18055 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18056 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18059 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18060 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18061 lines, which might save some time.
18065 @node Little Disk Space
18066 @subsection Little Disk Space
18069 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18070 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18074 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18075 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18076 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18077 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18080 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18081 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18082 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18083 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18084 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18090 @subsection Slow Machine
18091 @cindex slow machine
18093 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18094 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18096 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18097 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18099 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18100 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18101 summary buffer faster.
18103 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
18104 processing a bit faster.
18108 @node Troubleshooting
18109 @section Troubleshooting
18110 @cindex troubleshooting
18112 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18120 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18123 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18124 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18128 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18129 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18130 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18131 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18134 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18138 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18139 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18140 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18141 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18142 something like that.
18145 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18148 @cindex reporting bugs
18150 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18152 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
18153 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
18154 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
18155 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18157 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18158 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18159 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18160 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18163 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18164 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18165 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18166 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18167 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18168 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18170 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18171 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18172 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18175 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18176 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18178 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18179 @cindex ding mailing list
18180 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18181 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18185 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
18186 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
18188 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18189 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18190 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18191 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18194 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18195 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18196 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18197 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18198 and general methods of operation.
18201 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18202 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18203 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18204 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18205 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18206 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18207 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18208 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18209 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18213 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18214 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18215 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18216 @cindex utility functions
18218 @cindex internal variables
18220 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18221 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18222 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18226 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18227 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18228 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18230 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18231 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18232 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18234 @item gnus-group-real-name
18235 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18236 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18239 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18240 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18241 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18242 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18244 @item gnus-get-info
18245 @findex gnus-get-info
18246 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18248 @item gnus-group-unread
18249 @findex gnus-group-unread
18250 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
18254 @findex gnus-active
18255 The active entry for @var{group}.
18257 @item gnus-set-active
18258 @findex gnus-set-active
18259 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
18261 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18262 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18263 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18266 @item gnus-continuum-version
18267 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18268 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18269 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18272 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18273 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18274 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18276 @item gnus-news-group-p
18277 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18278 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18280 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18281 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18282 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18284 @item gnus-server-to-method
18285 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18286 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18288 @item gnus-server-equal
18289 @findex gnus-server-equal
18290 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18292 @item gnus-group-native-p
18293 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18294 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18296 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18297 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18298 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18300 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18301 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18302 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18304 @item group-group-find-parameter
18305 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18306 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18307 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18309 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18310 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18311 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18313 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18314 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18315 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18317 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18318 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18319 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18320 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18323 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18327 @item gnus-read-method
18328 @findex gnus-read-method
18329 Prompts the user for a select method.
18334 @node Backend Interface
18335 @subsection Backend Interface
18337 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18338 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18339 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18340 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18341 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18342 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18344 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18345 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18346 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18347 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18348 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18349 been opened, the function should fail.
18351 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
18352 name. Take this example:
18356 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
18357 (nntp-port-number 4324))
18360 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
18361 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
18363 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
18364 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
18365 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
18367 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
18368 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
18369 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
18371 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
18372 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
18373 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
18374 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
18375 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
18376 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
18379 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
18380 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
18381 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
18382 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
18385 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
18388 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
18391 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
18392 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
18393 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
18394 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
18395 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
18396 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
18400 @node Required Backend Functions
18401 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
18405 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
18407 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
18408 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
18409 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
18410 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
18412 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
18413 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
18414 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
18415 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
18417 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
18418 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
18419 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
18420 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
18421 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
18422 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
18423 number, do maximum fetches.
18425 Here's an example HEAD:
18428 221 1056 Article retrieved.
18429 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
18430 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
18431 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
18432 Subject: Re: Something very droll
18433 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
18434 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
18436 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
18437 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
18438 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
18442 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
18443 these in the data buffer.
18445 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
18449 head = error / valid-head
18450 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
18451 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
18452 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
18453 header = <text> eol
18456 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
18457 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
18461 nov-buffer = *nov-line
18462 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
18463 field = <text except TAB>
18466 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
18470 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
18472 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
18473 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
18475 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
18476 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
18477 server. In fact, it should do so.
18479 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
18480 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
18483 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
18485 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
18486 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
18489 There should be no data returned.
18492 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
18494 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
18495 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
18496 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
18497 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
18499 There should be no data returned.
18502 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
18504 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
18505 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
18506 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
18507 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
18509 There should be no data returned.
18512 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
18514 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
18516 There should be no data returned.
18519 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
18521 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
18522 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
18523 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
18524 it would be nice if that were possible.
18526 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
18527 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
18528 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
18529 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
18530 into its article buffer.
18532 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
18533 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
18534 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
18535 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
18536 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
18537 on successful article retrieval.
18540 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
18542 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
18543 making @var{group} the current group.
18545 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
18548 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
18551 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
18554 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
18555 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
18556 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
18557 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
18558 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
18559 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
18560 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
18561 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
18564 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
18565 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
18566 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
18570 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18572 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
18573 a no-op on most backends.
18575 There should be no data returned.
18578 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
18580 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
18583 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
18586 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
18587 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
18590 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
18591 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
18594 active-file = *active-line
18595 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
18597 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
18600 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
18601 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
18602 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
18605 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
18607 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
18608 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
18609 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
18610 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
18611 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
18612 clear if the posting could not be completed.
18614 There should be no result data from this function.
18619 @node Optional Backend Functions
18620 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
18624 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
18626 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
18627 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
18628 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
18630 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
18631 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
18632 former is in the same format as the data from
18633 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
18634 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
18637 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
18641 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
18643 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
18644 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
18645 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
18646 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
18647 should return the (altered) group info.
18649 There should be no result data from this function.
18652 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
18654 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
18655 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
18656 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
18657 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
18658 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
18659 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
18660 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
18661 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
18663 There should be no result data from this function.
18666 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
18668 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
18669 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
18670 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
18671 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
18672 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
18674 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
18675 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
18676 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
18679 There should be no result data from this function.
18682 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
18684 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
18685 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
18686 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
18687 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
18688 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
18689 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
18690 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
18692 There should be no result data from this function.
18695 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
18697 The result data from this function should be a description of
18701 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
18703 description = <text>
18706 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
18708 The result data from this function should be the description of all
18709 groups available on the server.
18712 description-buffer = *description-line
18716 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
18718 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
18719 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
18720 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
18723 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18725 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
18727 There should be no return data.
18730 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
18732 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
18733 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
18734 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
18735 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
18736 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
18739 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
18742 There should be no result data returned.
18745 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
18748 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
18749 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
18751 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
18752 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
18753 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
18754 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
18755 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
18756 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
18758 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
18759 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
18762 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18763 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18765 There should be no data returned.
18768 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
18770 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
18771 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
18772 this function in short order.
18774 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18775 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18777 There should be no data returned.
18780 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
18782 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
18783 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
18785 There should be no data returned.
18788 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
18790 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
18791 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
18792 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
18794 There should be no data returned.
18797 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
18799 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
18800 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
18802 There should be no data returned.
18807 @node Error Messaging
18808 @subsubsection Error Messaging
18810 @findex nnheader-report
18811 @findex nnheader-get-report
18812 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
18813 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
18814 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
18815 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
18816 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
18817 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
18820 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
18822 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
18825 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
18826 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
18827 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
18828 takes one argument---the server symbol.
18830 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
18831 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
18832 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
18835 @node Writing New Backends
18836 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
18838 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
18839 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
18840 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
18841 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
18842 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
18845 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
18846 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
18847 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
18849 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
18850 package called @code{nnoo}.
18852 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
18853 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
18859 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
18860 parameters. For instance:
18863 (nnoo-declare nndir
18867 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
18868 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
18871 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
18872 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
18873 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
18875 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
18876 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
18877 a function in those backends.
18880 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18881 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18882 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18885 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
18886 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
18887 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
18889 @item nnoo-define-basics
18890 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
18894 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18898 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
18899 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
18900 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
18902 @item nnoo-map-functions
18903 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
18904 functions from the parent backends.
18907 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18908 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18909 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
18912 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
18913 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
18914 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
18915 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
18918 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
18919 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
18920 haven't already been defined.
18926 nnmh-request-newgroups)
18930 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
18931 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
18932 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
18937 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
18940 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
18941 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
18945 (require 'nnheader)
18949 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
18951 (nnoo-declare nndir
18954 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18955 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18956 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18958 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
18959 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
18962 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
18963 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
18964 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
18966 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
18967 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
18969 ;;; Interface functions.
18971 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18973 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
18974 (setq nndir-directory
18975 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
18977 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
18978 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
18979 (push `(nndir-current-group
18980 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18982 (push `(nndir-top-directory
18983 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18985 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
18987 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18988 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18989 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18990 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
18991 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
18995 nnmh-status-message
18997 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19003 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19004 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19006 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19007 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19008 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19009 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19011 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19012 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19017 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19020 The abilities can be:
19024 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19026 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19028 This backend supports both mail and news.
19030 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19033 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19034 articles and groups.
19036 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19037 true for almost all backends.
19038 @item prompt-address
19039 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19040 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19041 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19045 @node Mail-like Backends
19046 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19048 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19049 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19050 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19051 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19054 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19055 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19056 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19059 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19060 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19063 This function takes four parameters.
19067 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19070 @item exit-function
19071 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19073 @item temp-directory
19074 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19077 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19078 performed for one group only.
19081 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19082 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19083 find the article number assigned to this article.
19085 The function also uses the following variables:
19086 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19087 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19088 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19089 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19093 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19094 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19098 @node Score File Syntax
19099 @subsection Score File Syntax
19101 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19102 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19103 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19105 Here's a typical score file:
19109 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
19116 BNF definition of a score file:
19119 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
19120 element = rule / atom
19121 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
19122 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
19123 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
19124 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
19126 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
19127 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
19128 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
19129 date-header = "date"
19130 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19131 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19132 score = "nil" / <integer>
19133 date = "nil" / <natural number>
19134 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
19135 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
19136 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
19137 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
19138 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19139 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19140 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
19141 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19142 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
19143 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
19144 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
19145 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
19146 exclude-files / read-only / touched
19147 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
19148 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
19149 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
19150 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
19151 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
19152 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
19153 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
19154 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
19155 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
19156 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
19157 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
19158 eval = "eval" space <form>
19159 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
19162 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
19165 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
19166 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
19167 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
19168 one looong line, then that's ok.
19170 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19171 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19175 @subsection Headers
19177 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19178 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19179 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19180 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19182 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19183 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19184 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19185 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19186 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19187 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19188 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19190 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19191 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19192 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
19193 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19194 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19196 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
19203 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19204 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19206 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19207 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19208 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19209 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19211 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19215 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19218 is transformed into
19221 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19224 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19225 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19228 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19231 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19232 is slightly tricky:
19235 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19241 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19244 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19250 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19257 and is equal to the previous range.
19259 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19260 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19261 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19265 range = simple-range / normal-range
19266 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19267 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19268 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19269 number *[ " " contents ]
19272 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19273 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19274 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19275 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19276 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19281 @subsection Group Info
19283 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19284 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19285 describes the group.
19287 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19288 second is a more complex one:
19291 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
19293 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19294 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19296 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19299 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19300 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19301 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19302 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19303 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19304 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19305 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19306 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19307 this section is about.
19309 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
19310 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
19311 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
19313 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
19316 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
19317 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
19318 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19319 group = quote <string> quote
19320 ralevel = rank / level
19321 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19322 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
19323 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19325 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
19326 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
19327 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
19328 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
19331 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
19332 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
19335 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
19336 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
19339 @item gnus-info-group
19340 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
19341 @findex gnus-info-group
19342 @findex gnus-info-set-group
19343 Get/set the group name.
19345 @item gnus-info-rank
19346 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
19347 @findex gnus-info-rank
19348 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
19349 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
19351 @item gnus-info-level
19352 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
19353 @findex gnus-info-level
19354 @findex gnus-info-set-level
19355 Get/set the group level.
19357 @item gnus-info-score
19358 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
19359 @findex gnus-info-score
19360 @findex gnus-info-set-score
19361 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
19363 @item gnus-info-read
19364 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
19365 @findex gnus-info-read
19366 @findex gnus-info-set-read
19367 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
19369 @item gnus-info-marks
19370 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
19371 @findex gnus-info-marks
19372 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
19373 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
19375 @item gnus-info-method
19376 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
19377 @findex gnus-info-method
19378 @findex gnus-info-set-method
19379 Get/set the group select method.
19381 @item gnus-info-params
19382 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
19383 @findex gnus-info-params
19384 @findex gnus-info-set-params
19385 Get/set the group parameters.
19388 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
19389 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
19391 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
19392 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
19393 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
19394 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
19397 @node Extended Interactive
19398 @subsection Extended Interactive
19399 @cindex interactive
19400 @findex gnus-interactive
19402 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
19403 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
19404 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
19407 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
19408 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
19413 The best thing to do would have been to implement
19414 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
19415 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
19416 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
19417 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
19418 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
19419 @code{interactive}.
19421 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
19426 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
19427 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
19431 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
19432 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
19433 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
19436 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
19440 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
19444 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
19450 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
19451 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
19455 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
19456 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
19457 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
19459 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
19460 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
19461 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
19462 Gnus, that's very useful.
19464 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
19465 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
19466 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
19467 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
19468 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
19469 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
19470 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
19471 following function:
19474 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
19478 (,function ,@@args))
19482 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
19483 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
19484 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
19487 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
19488 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
19489 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
19491 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
19492 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
19493 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
19496 @node Various File Formats
19497 @subsection Various File Formats
19500 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
19501 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
19505 @node Active File Format
19506 @subsubsection Active File Format
19508 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
19509 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
19512 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
19515 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
19516 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
19517 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
19518 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
19519 no.general 1000 900 y
19522 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
19525 active = *group-line
19526 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
19527 group = <non-white-space string>
19529 high-number = <non-negative integer>
19530 low-number = <positive integer>
19531 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
19534 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
19535 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
19538 @node Newsgroups File Format
19539 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
19541 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
19542 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
19543 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
19546 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
19547 Here's the definition:
19551 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
19552 group = <non-white-space string>
19554 description = <string>
19559 @node Emacs for Heathens
19560 @section Emacs for Heathens
19562 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
19563 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
19564 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
19565 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
19566 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
19567 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
19568 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
19572 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
19573 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
19578 @subsection Keystrokes
19582 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
19585 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
19588 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
19589 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
19590 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
19591 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
19592 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
19593 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
19595 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
19596 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
19597 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
19598 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
19599 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
19600 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
19601 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
19603 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
19604 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
19605 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
19606 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
19607 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
19608 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
19609 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
19611 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
19612 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
19613 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
19614 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
19615 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
19621 @subsection Emacs Lisp
19623 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
19624 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
19625 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
19626 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
19628 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
19629 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
19630 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
19631 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
19632 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
19633 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
19634 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
19637 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
19638 write the following:
19641 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
19644 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
19645 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
19646 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
19649 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
19650 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
19651 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
19652 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
19653 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
19655 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
19656 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
19657 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
19661 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
19665 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
19668 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
19669 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
19672 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
19675 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
19676 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
19679 @include gnus-faq.texi