10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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282 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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291 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
293 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
296 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
297 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
298 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
299 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
300 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
301 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
302 License'' in the Emacs manual.
304 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
305 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
306 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
308 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
309 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
310 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
311 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
319 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
321 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
322 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
324 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
325 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
326 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
327 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
328 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
329 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
330 License'' in the Emacs manual.
332 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
333 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
334 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
336 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
337 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
338 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
339 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
350 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
351 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
353 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
355 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
356 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
357 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
358 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
359 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
360 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
361 License'' in the Emacs manual.
363 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
364 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
365 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
367 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
368 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
369 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
370 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
379 @top The Gnus Newsreader
383 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
384 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
385 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
388 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.10.
399 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
400 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
402 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
403 being accused of plagiarism:
405 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
406 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
407 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
408 can even read news with it!
410 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
411 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
412 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
413 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
414 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
420 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
421 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
422 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
423 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
424 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
425 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
426 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
427 * Various:: General purpose settings.
428 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
429 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
430 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
431 * Key Index:: Key Index.
433 Other related manuals
435 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
436 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
437 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
438 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
441 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
445 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
446 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
447 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
448 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
449 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
450 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
451 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
452 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
453 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
454 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
455 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
459 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
460 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
461 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
465 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
466 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
467 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
468 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
469 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
470 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
471 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
472 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
473 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
474 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
475 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
476 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
477 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
478 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
479 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
480 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
481 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
485 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
486 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
487 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
491 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
492 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
493 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
494 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
495 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
499 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
500 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
501 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
502 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
503 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
507 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
508 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
509 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
510 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
511 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
512 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
513 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
514 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
515 * Threading:: How threads are made.
516 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
517 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
518 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
519 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
520 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
521 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
522 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
523 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
524 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
525 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
526 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
527 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
528 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
529 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
530 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
531 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
532 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
533 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
534 or reselecting the current group.
535 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
536 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
537 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
538 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
540 Summary Buffer Format
542 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
543 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
544 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
545 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
549 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
550 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
552 Reply, Followup and Post
554 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
555 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
556 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
557 * Canceling and Superseding::
561 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
562 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
563 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
565 * Generic Marking Commands::
566 * Setting Process Marks::
570 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
571 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
572 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
576 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
577 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
579 Customizing Threading
581 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
582 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
583 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
584 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
588 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
589 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
590 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
591 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
592 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
593 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
597 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
598 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
599 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
603 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
604 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
605 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
606 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
607 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
608 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
609 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
610 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
611 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
612 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
614 Alternative Approaches
616 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
617 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
619 Various Summary Stuff
621 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
622 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
623 * Summary Generation Commands::
624 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
628 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
629 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
630 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
631 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
632 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
636 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
637 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
638 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
639 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
640 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
641 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
642 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
643 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
647 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
648 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
649 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
650 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
651 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
652 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
653 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
654 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
658 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
659 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
660 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
661 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
662 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
663 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
664 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
668 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
669 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
673 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
674 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
675 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
679 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
680 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
681 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
682 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
683 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
684 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
685 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
686 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
687 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
688 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
689 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
690 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
691 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
695 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
696 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
697 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
699 Choosing a Mail Back End
701 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
702 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
703 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
704 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
705 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
706 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
711 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
712 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
713 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
714 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
715 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
716 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
720 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
721 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
722 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
723 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
724 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
728 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
729 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
730 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
731 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
732 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
736 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
740 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
741 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
742 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
746 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
747 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
751 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
752 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
753 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
754 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
755 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
756 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
757 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
758 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
759 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
760 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
761 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
765 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
766 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
767 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
771 * Group Agent Commands::
772 * Summary Agent Commands::
773 * Server Agent Commands::
777 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
778 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
779 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
780 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
781 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
782 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
783 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
784 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
785 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
786 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
787 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
788 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
789 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
790 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
791 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
792 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
793 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
797 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
798 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
799 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
800 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
804 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
805 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
806 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
810 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
811 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
812 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
813 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
814 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
815 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
816 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
817 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
818 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
819 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
820 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
821 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
822 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
823 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
824 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
825 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
826 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
827 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
828 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
832 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
833 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
834 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
835 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
836 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
837 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
838 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
839 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
843 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
844 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
845 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
846 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
847 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
851 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
852 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
853 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
854 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
855 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
859 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
860 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
861 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
862 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
863 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
864 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
868 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
869 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
870 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
871 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
872 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
873 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
874 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
875 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
876 * Frequently Asked Questions::
880 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
881 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
882 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
883 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
884 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
885 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
886 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
887 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
888 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
892 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
893 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
894 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
895 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
896 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
900 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
901 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
902 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
903 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
907 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
908 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
909 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
910 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
911 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
912 * Group Info:: The group info format.
913 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
914 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
915 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
919 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
920 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
921 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
922 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
923 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
924 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
928 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
929 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
933 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
934 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
940 @chapter Starting Gnus
945 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
946 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
949 @findex gnus-other-frame
950 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
951 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
952 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
954 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
955 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
956 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
958 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
959 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
962 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
963 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
964 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
965 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
966 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
967 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
968 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
969 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
970 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
971 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
972 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
976 @node Finding the News
977 @section Finding the News
980 @vindex gnus-select-method
982 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
983 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
984 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
985 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
988 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
989 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
992 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
995 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
998 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1001 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1002 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1003 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1005 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1007 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1008 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1009 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1010 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1011 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1012 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1014 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1015 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1016 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1017 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1019 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1020 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1021 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1022 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1023 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1024 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1025 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1026 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1027 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1030 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1032 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1033 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1034 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1035 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1036 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1037 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1039 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1041 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1042 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1043 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1044 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1045 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1046 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1049 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1050 you would typically set this variable to
1053 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1057 @node The First Time
1058 @section The First Time
1059 @cindex first time usage
1061 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1062 be subscribed by default.
1064 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1065 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1066 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1067 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1070 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1071 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1072 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1074 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1075 help you with most common problems.
1077 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1078 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1082 @node The Server is Down
1083 @section The Server is Down
1084 @cindex server errors
1086 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1087 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1088 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1090 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1091 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1092 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1093 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1094 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1095 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1096 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1098 @findex gnus-no-server
1099 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1101 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1102 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1103 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1104 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1105 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1106 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1107 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1111 @section Slave Gnusae
1114 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1115 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1116 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1117 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1119 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1120 @code{.newsrc} file.
1122 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1123 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1124 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1125 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1126 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1127 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1128 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1130 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1131 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1132 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1133 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1134 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1135 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1136 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1137 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1139 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1140 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1142 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1143 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1144 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1145 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1146 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1148 @node Fetching a Group
1149 @section Fetching a Group
1150 @cindex fetching a group
1152 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1153 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1154 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1155 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1156 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1157 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1163 @cindex subscription
1165 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1166 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1167 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1168 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1169 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1170 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1171 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1172 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1173 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1176 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1177 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1178 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1182 @node Checking New Groups
1183 @subsection Checking New Groups
1185 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1186 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1187 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1188 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1189 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1190 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1191 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1192 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1193 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1194 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1196 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1197 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1198 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1199 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1200 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1201 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1202 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1203 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1204 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1205 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1206 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1208 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1209 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1210 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1211 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1212 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1213 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1216 @node Subscription Methods
1217 @subsection Subscription Methods
1219 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1220 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1221 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1223 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1224 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1226 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1230 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1231 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1232 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1233 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1234 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1238 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1239 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1241 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1242 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1243 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1247 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1248 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1249 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1250 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1251 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1252 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1253 up. Or something like that.
1255 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1257 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1258 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1259 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1261 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1262 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1263 Kill all new groups.
1265 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1266 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1267 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1268 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1269 topic parameter that looks like
1275 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1278 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1283 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1284 A closely related variable is
1285 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1286 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1287 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1288 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1291 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1292 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1293 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1294 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1297 @node Filtering New Groups
1298 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1300 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1301 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1302 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1305 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1308 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1309 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1310 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1311 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1312 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1313 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1314 subscribing these groups.
1315 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1316 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1318 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1319 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1320 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1321 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1322 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1323 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1324 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1325 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1327 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1328 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1329 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1330 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1331 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1332 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1333 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1334 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1335 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1336 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1339 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1340 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1343 @node Changing Servers
1344 @section Changing Servers
1345 @cindex changing servers
1347 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1348 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1349 very flaky and you want to use another.
1351 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1352 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1356 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1357 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1358 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1359 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1362 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1363 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1364 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1365 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1367 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1368 @findex gnus-change-server
1369 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1370 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1371 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1372 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1373 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1375 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1376 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1377 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1378 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1379 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1381 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1382 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1383 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1384 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1385 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1386 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1388 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1389 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1390 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1391 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1393 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1394 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1395 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1396 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1397 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1398 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1399 cache for all groups).
1403 @section Startup Files
1404 @cindex startup files
1409 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1410 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1412 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1413 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1414 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1415 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1416 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1417 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1418 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1420 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1421 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1422 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1423 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1424 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1425 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1427 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1428 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1429 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1430 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1431 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1432 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1433 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1434 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1435 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1436 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1438 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1439 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1440 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1441 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1442 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1443 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1444 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1445 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1446 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1447 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1448 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1449 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1451 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1452 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1453 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1454 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1456 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1457 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1458 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1459 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1460 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1461 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1462 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1463 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1464 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1465 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1468 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1469 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1471 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1472 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1475 @vindex gnus-init-file
1476 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1477 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1478 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1479 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1480 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1481 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1482 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1483 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1484 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1490 @cindex dribble file
1493 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1494 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1495 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1496 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1497 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1500 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1501 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1504 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1505 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1506 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1508 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1509 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1510 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1511 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1512 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1513 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1515 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1516 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1517 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1520 @node The Active File
1521 @section The Active File
1523 @cindex ignored groups
1525 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1526 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1527 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1529 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1530 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1531 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1532 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1533 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1534 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1535 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1538 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1539 @c if you set it to anything else.
1541 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1543 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1544 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1545 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1547 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1548 you actually subscribe to.
1550 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1551 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1552 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1553 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1555 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1556 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1557 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1558 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1559 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1560 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1562 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1563 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1564 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1567 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1568 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1569 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1570 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1571 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1572 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1574 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1575 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1577 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1578 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1580 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1581 secondary select methods.
1584 @node Startup Variables
1585 @section Startup Variables
1589 @item gnus-load-hook
1590 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1591 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1592 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1593 times you start Gnus.
1595 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1596 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1597 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1599 @item gnus-startup-hook
1600 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1601 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1603 @item gnus-started-hook
1604 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1605 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1608 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1609 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1610 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1611 generating the group buffer.
1613 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1614 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1615 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1616 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1617 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1618 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1619 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1620 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1622 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1623 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1624 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1625 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1626 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1627 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1629 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1630 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1631 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1633 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1634 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1635 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1637 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1638 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1639 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1640 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1646 @chapter Group Buffer
1647 @cindex group buffer
1649 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1651 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1652 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1653 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1654 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1655 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1656 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1657 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1658 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1659 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1660 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1661 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1662 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1663 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1664 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1665 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1666 @c human rights at 9...
1669 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1670 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1671 long as Gnus is active.
1675 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1676 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1677 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1678 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1679 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1680 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1681 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1682 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1688 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1689 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1690 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1691 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1692 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1693 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1694 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1695 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1696 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1697 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1698 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1699 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1700 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1701 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1702 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1703 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1704 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1708 @node Group Buffer Format
1709 @section Group Buffer Format
1712 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1713 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1714 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1718 @node Group Line Specification
1719 @subsection Group Line Specification
1720 @cindex group buffer format
1722 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1723 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1725 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1728 25: news.announce.newusers
1729 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1734 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1735 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1736 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1737 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1739 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1740 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1741 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1742 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1743 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1744 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1746 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1748 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1749 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1750 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1751 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1752 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1754 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1755 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1756 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1758 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1763 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1766 Whether the group is subscribed.
1769 Level of subscribedness.
1772 Number of unread articles.
1775 Number of dormant articles.
1778 Number of ticked articles.
1781 Number of read articles.
1784 Number of unseen articles.
1787 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1788 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1790 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1791 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1792 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1793 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1794 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1795 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1796 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1797 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1800 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1803 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1812 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1813 comment element in the group parameters.
1816 Newsgroup description.
1819 @samp{m} if moderated.
1822 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1828 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1834 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1838 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1841 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1842 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1843 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1844 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1845 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1848 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1850 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1854 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1857 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1861 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1862 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1863 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1864 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1865 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1866 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1871 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1872 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1873 group, or a bogus native group.
1876 @node Group Modeline Specification
1877 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1878 @cindex group modeline
1880 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1881 The mode line can be changed by setting
1882 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1883 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1887 The native news server.
1889 The native select method.
1893 @node Group Highlighting
1894 @subsection Group Highlighting
1895 @cindex highlighting
1896 @cindex group highlighting
1898 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1899 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1900 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1901 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1902 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1904 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1908 (cond (window-system
1909 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1910 (defface my-group-face-1
1911 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1912 (defface my-group-face-2
1913 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1914 (defface my-group-face-3
1915 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1916 (defface my-group-face-4
1917 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1918 (defface my-group-face-5
1919 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1921 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1922 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1923 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1924 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1925 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1926 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1929 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1931 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1938 The number of unread articles in the group.
1942 Whether the group is a mail group.
1944 The level of the group.
1946 The score of the group.
1948 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1950 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1951 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1953 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1954 topic being inserted.
1957 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1958 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1959 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1961 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1962 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1963 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1964 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1965 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1968 @node Group Maneuvering
1969 @section Group Maneuvering
1970 @cindex group movement
1972 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1973 expected, hopefully.
1979 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1980 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1981 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1987 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1988 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1989 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1993 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1994 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1998 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1999 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2003 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2004 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2005 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2009 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2010 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2011 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2014 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2020 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2021 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2022 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2027 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2028 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2029 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2033 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2034 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2035 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2038 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2039 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2040 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2041 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2045 @node Selecting a Group
2046 @section Selecting a Group
2047 @cindex group selection
2052 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2053 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2054 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2055 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2056 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2057 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2058 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2059 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2060 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2061 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2063 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2064 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2065 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2067 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2068 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2073 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2074 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2075 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2076 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2077 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2081 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2082 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2083 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2084 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2085 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2086 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2087 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2088 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2089 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2090 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2093 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2094 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2095 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2096 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2097 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2100 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2101 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2102 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2103 doing any processing of its contents
2104 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2105 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2106 manner will have no permanent effects.
2110 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2111 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2112 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2113 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2114 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2115 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2116 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2117 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2120 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2121 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2122 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2123 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2124 Which article this is is controlled by the
2125 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2131 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2134 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2137 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2139 @item unseen-or-unread
2140 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2141 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2145 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2149 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2150 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2152 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2153 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2154 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2155 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2159 @node Subscription Commands
2160 @section Subscription Commands
2161 @cindex subscription
2169 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2170 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2171 Toggle subscription to the current group
2172 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2178 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2179 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2180 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2181 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2187 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2188 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2189 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2195 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2196 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2199 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2200 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2201 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2202 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2203 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2209 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2210 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2214 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2215 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2218 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2219 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2220 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2221 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2222 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2223 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2224 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2225 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2226 @file{.newsrc} file.
2230 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2240 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2241 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2242 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2243 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2244 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2245 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2250 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2251 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2252 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2256 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2257 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2258 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2260 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2261 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2262 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2263 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2264 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2265 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2272 @section Group Levels
2276 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2277 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2278 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2279 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2280 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2282 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2288 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2289 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2290 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2291 prompted for a level.
2294 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2295 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2296 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2297 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2298 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2299 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2300 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2301 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2302 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2303 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2304 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2305 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2306 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2307 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2308 reasons of efficiency.
2310 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2311 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2313 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2314 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2315 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2316 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2317 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2318 groups are hidden, in a way.
2320 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2321 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2322 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2323 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2324 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2325 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2327 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2328 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2329 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2330 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2331 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2332 list of killed groups.)
2334 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2335 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2336 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2338 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2339 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2340 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2341 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2342 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2343 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2344 relevant valid ranges.
2346 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2347 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2348 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2349 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2350 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2351 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2354 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2355 one with the best level.
2357 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2358 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2359 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2362 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2363 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2364 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2365 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2368 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2369 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2370 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2371 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2373 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2374 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2375 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2376 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2377 to 5. The default is 6.
2381 @section Group Score
2386 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2387 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2388 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2391 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2392 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2393 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2394 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2395 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2396 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2397 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2398 least significant part.))
2400 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2401 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2402 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2403 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2404 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2405 action after each summary exit, you can add
2406 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2407 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2408 slow things down somewhat.
2411 @node Marking Groups
2412 @section Marking Groups
2413 @cindex marking groups
2415 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2416 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2417 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2418 bidding on those groups.
2420 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2421 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2422 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2430 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2431 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2437 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2438 Remove the mark from the current group
2439 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2443 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2444 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2448 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2449 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2453 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2454 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2458 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2459 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2460 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2463 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2465 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2466 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2467 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2468 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2469 the command to be executed.
2472 @node Foreign Groups
2473 @section Foreign Groups
2474 @cindex foreign groups
2476 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2477 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2478 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2479 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2486 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2487 @cindex making groups
2488 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2489 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2490 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2494 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2495 @cindex renaming groups
2496 Rename the current group to something else
2497 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2498 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2504 @findex gnus-group-customize
2505 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2509 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2510 @cindex renaming groups
2511 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2512 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2516 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2517 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2518 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2522 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2523 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2524 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2530 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2531 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2536 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2537 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2541 @cindex (ding) archive
2542 @cindex archive group
2543 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2544 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2545 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2546 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2547 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2548 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2549 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2553 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2555 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2556 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2557 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2558 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2562 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2564 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2565 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2566 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2570 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2571 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2573 Make a group based on some file or other
2574 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2575 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2576 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2577 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2578 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2579 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2580 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2581 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2582 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2586 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2587 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2588 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2589 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2593 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2597 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2598 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2599 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2600 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2601 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2602 @xref{Web Searches}.
2604 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2605 to a particular group by using a match string like
2606 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2609 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2610 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2611 This function will delete the current group
2612 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2613 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2614 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2615 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2616 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2620 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2621 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2622 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2626 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2627 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2628 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2631 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2634 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2635 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2636 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2637 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2638 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2639 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2643 @node Group Parameters
2644 @section Group Parameters
2645 @cindex group parameters
2647 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2648 Here's an example group parameter list:
2651 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2655 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2656 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2657 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2658 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2660 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2661 is an alist of regexps and values.
2663 The following group parameters can be used:
2668 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2671 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2674 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2675 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2676 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2677 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2678 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2680 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2681 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2682 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2683 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2684 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2685 list address instead.
2687 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2691 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2694 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2697 It is totally ignored
2698 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2699 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2701 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2702 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2703 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2704 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2705 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2707 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2708 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2709 sending the message.
2711 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2712 @cindex Mail List Groups
2713 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2714 entering summary buffer.
2716 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2721 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2722 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2723 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2724 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2725 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2726 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2728 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2729 directly uses this group parameter.
2733 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2734 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2735 of whether it has any unread articles.
2737 @item broken-reply-to
2738 @cindex broken-reply-to
2739 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2740 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2741 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2742 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2743 broken behavior. So there!
2747 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2748 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2752 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2753 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2754 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2759 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2760 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2761 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2762 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2763 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2764 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2765 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2766 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2767 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2771 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2772 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2773 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2775 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2778 @cindex total-expire
2779 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2780 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2781 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2782 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2785 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2789 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2790 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2791 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2792 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2793 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2794 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2795 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2798 @cindex score file group parameter
2799 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2800 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2801 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2804 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2805 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2806 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2807 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2810 @cindex admin-address
2811 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2812 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2813 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2814 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2818 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2819 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2823 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2826 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2827 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2830 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2834 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2836 Here are some examples:
2840 Display only unread articles.
2843 Display everything except expirable articles.
2845 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2846 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2850 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2851 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2852 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2853 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2854 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2858 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2859 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2860 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2864 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2865 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2866 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2870 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2871 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2872 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2874 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2876 @item ignored-charsets
2877 @cindex ignored-charset
2878 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2879 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2880 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2882 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2885 @cindex posting-style
2886 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2887 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2888 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2889 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2890 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2892 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2893 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2894 like this in the group parameters:
2899 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2904 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2905 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2909 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2910 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2911 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2912 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2913 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2917 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2918 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2919 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2920 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2922 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2923 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2924 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2925 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2928 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2929 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2933 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2936 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2937 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2938 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2939 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2940 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2941 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2942 @code{eval}ed there.
2944 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2945 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2946 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2947 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2948 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2949 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2950 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2951 parameters for the group.
2954 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2955 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2956 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2957 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2958 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2962 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2963 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2964 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2965 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2966 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2968 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2969 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2973 (setq gnus-parameters
2975 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2976 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2977 (gnus-summary-line-format
2978 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2982 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2986 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2990 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2993 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2994 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2997 @node Listing Groups
2998 @section Listing Groups
2999 @cindex group listing
3001 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3009 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3010 List all groups that have unread articles
3011 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3012 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3013 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3014 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3021 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3022 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3023 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3024 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3025 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3026 unsubscribed groups).
3030 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3031 List all unread groups on a specific level
3032 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3033 with no unread articles.
3037 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3038 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3039 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3040 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3045 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3046 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3050 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3051 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3052 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3056 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3057 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3061 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3062 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3063 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3064 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3065 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3066 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3067 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3068 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3072 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3073 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3074 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3078 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3079 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3080 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3084 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3085 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3089 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3090 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3094 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3095 List groups limited within the current selection
3096 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3100 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3101 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3105 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3106 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3110 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3111 @cindex visible group parameter
3112 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3113 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3114 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3115 get the same effect.
3117 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3118 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3119 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3120 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3121 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3124 @node Sorting Groups
3125 @section Sorting Groups
3126 @cindex sorting groups
3128 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3129 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3130 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3131 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3132 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3133 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3138 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3139 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3140 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3142 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3144 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3146 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3147 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3148 Sort by group level.
3150 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3151 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3152 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3154 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3156 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3157 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3159 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3160 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3161 Sort by number of unread articles.
3163 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3164 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3165 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3167 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3168 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3169 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3174 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3175 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3179 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3180 some sorting criteria:
3184 @kindex G S a (Group)
3185 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3186 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3187 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3190 @kindex G S u (Group)
3191 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3192 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3193 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3196 @kindex G S l (Group)
3197 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3198 Sort the group buffer by group level
3199 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3202 @kindex G S v (Group)
3203 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3204 Sort the group buffer by group score
3205 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3208 @kindex G S r (Group)
3209 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3210 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3211 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3214 @kindex G S m (Group)
3215 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3216 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3217 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3220 @kindex G S n (Group)
3221 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3222 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3223 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3227 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3228 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3230 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3231 commands will sort in reverse order.
3233 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3237 @kindex G P a (Group)
3238 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3239 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3240 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3243 @kindex G P u (Group)
3244 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3245 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3246 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3249 @kindex G P l (Group)
3250 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3251 Sort the groups by group level
3252 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3255 @kindex G P v (Group)
3256 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3257 Sort the groups by group score
3258 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3261 @kindex G P r (Group)
3262 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3263 Sort the groups by group rank
3264 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3267 @kindex G P m (Group)
3268 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3269 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3270 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3273 @kindex G P n (Group)
3274 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3275 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3276 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3279 @kindex G P s (Group)
3280 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3281 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3285 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3289 @node Group Maintenance
3290 @section Group Maintenance
3291 @cindex bogus groups
3296 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3297 Find bogus groups and delete them
3298 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3302 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3303 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3304 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3305 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3306 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3310 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3311 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3312 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3313 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3314 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3315 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3318 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3319 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3320 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3321 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3326 @node Browse Foreign Server
3327 @section Browse Foreign Server
3328 @cindex foreign servers
3329 @cindex browsing servers
3334 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3335 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3336 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3337 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3340 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3341 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3342 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3343 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3345 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3350 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3351 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3355 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3356 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3359 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3360 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3361 Enter the current group and display the first article
3362 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3365 @kindex RET (Browse)
3366 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3367 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3371 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3372 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3373 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3379 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3380 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3384 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3385 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3389 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3390 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3391 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3396 @section Exiting Gnus
3397 @cindex exiting Gnus
3399 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3404 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3405 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3406 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3407 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3411 @findex gnus-group-exit
3412 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3413 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3417 @findex gnus-group-quit
3418 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3419 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3422 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3423 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3424 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3425 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3426 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3431 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3432 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3433 trying to customize meta-variables.
3438 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3439 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3440 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3446 @section Group Topics
3449 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3450 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3451 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3452 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3453 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3454 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3458 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3459 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3470 2: alt.religion.emacs
3473 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3475 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3476 13: comp.sources.unix
3479 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3481 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3482 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3483 is a toggling command.)
3485 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3486 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3487 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3488 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3491 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3492 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3493 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3496 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3500 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3501 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3502 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3503 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3504 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3508 @node Topic Commands
3509 @subsection Topic Commands
3510 @cindex topic commands
3512 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3513 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3514 definitions slightly.
3516 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3517 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3518 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3519 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3520 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3521 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3523 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3530 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3531 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3532 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3536 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3538 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3539 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3540 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3541 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3544 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3545 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3546 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3547 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3551 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3552 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3553 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3554 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3560 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3561 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3562 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3566 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3567 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3568 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3571 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3572 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3573 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3574 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3575 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3577 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3578 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3582 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3583 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3590 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3592 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3593 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3594 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3595 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3596 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3597 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3601 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3607 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3608 Move the current group to some other topic
3609 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3610 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3614 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3615 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3619 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3620 Copy the current group to some other topic
3621 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3622 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3626 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3627 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3628 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3632 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3633 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3634 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3638 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3639 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3640 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3641 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3642 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3643 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3644 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3647 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3648 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3652 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3653 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3654 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3658 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3659 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3660 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3664 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3665 Toggle hiding empty topics
3666 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3670 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3671 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3672 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3675 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3676 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3677 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3678 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3681 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3682 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3683 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3684 expiry process (if any)
3685 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3689 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3690 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3693 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3694 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3695 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3699 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3700 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3701 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3704 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3705 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3706 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3709 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3710 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3711 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3715 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3716 @cindex group parameters
3717 @cindex topic parameters
3719 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3720 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3725 @node Topic Variables
3726 @subsection Topic Variables
3727 @cindex topic variables
3729 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3730 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3732 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3733 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3734 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3747 Number of groups in the topic.
3749 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3751 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3754 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3755 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3756 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3759 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3760 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3762 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3763 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3764 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3768 @subsection Topic Sorting
3769 @cindex topic sorting
3771 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3777 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3778 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3779 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3780 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3783 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3784 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3785 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3786 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3789 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3790 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3791 Sort the current topic by group level
3792 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3795 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3796 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3797 Sort the current topic by group score
3798 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3801 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3802 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3803 Sort the current topic by group rank
3804 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3807 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3808 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3809 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3810 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3813 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3814 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3815 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3816 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3820 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3821 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3822 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3827 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3828 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3832 @node Topic Topology
3833 @subsection Topic Topology
3834 @cindex topic topology
3837 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3843 2: alt.religion.emacs
3846 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3848 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3849 13: comp.sources.unix
3852 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3853 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3854 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3859 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3860 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3864 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3865 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3866 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3867 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3868 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3869 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3871 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3872 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3873 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3876 @node Topic Parameters
3877 @subsection Topic Parameters
3878 @cindex topic parameters
3880 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3881 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3882 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3884 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3889 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3890 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3891 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3894 @item subscribe-level
3895 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3896 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3897 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3901 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3902 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3903 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3904 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3910 2: alt.religion.emacs
3914 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3916 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3917 13: comp.sources.unix
3921 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3922 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3923 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3924 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3925 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3926 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3928 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3929 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3930 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3931 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3932 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3934 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3935 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3936 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3937 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3938 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3939 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3940 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3941 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3944 @node Misc Group Stuff
3945 @section Misc Group Stuff
3948 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3949 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3950 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3951 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3952 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3959 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3960 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3961 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3965 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3966 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3967 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3968 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3969 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3970 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3971 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3975 @findex gnus-group-mail
3976 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3977 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3978 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3979 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3983 @findex gnus-group-news
3984 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3985 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3986 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3988 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3989 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3990 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3991 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3992 for this to work though.
3996 Variables for the group buffer:
4000 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4001 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4002 is called after the group buffer has been
4005 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4006 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4007 is called after the group buffer is
4008 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4011 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4012 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4013 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4014 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4016 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4017 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4018 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4019 whether they are empty or not.
4021 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4022 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4023 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4024 non-ASCII group names.
4028 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4029 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4032 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4033 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4034 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4035 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4036 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4037 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4041 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4042 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4047 @node Scanning New Messages
4048 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4049 @cindex new messages
4050 @cindex scanning new news
4056 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4057 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4058 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4059 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4060 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4061 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4066 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4067 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4068 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4069 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4070 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4071 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4072 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4074 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4075 @cindex activating groups
4077 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4078 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4083 @findex gnus-group-restart
4084 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4085 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4086 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4090 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4091 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4093 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4094 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4098 @node Group Information
4099 @subsection Group Information
4100 @cindex group information
4101 @cindex information on groups
4108 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4109 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4112 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4113 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4114 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4115 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4116 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4117 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4118 for fetching the file.
4120 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4121 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4125 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4126 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4128 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4129 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4132 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4133 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4134 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4138 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4139 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4140 @cindex control message
4141 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4142 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4143 group if given a prefix argument.
4145 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-nil, Gnus
4146 will open the control messages in a browser using @code{browse-url}.
4147 Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp} and displayed in an
4150 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4151 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4152 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4156 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4158 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4159 @cindex describing groups
4160 @cindex group description
4161 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4162 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4163 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4167 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4168 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4169 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4176 @findex gnus-version
4177 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4181 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4182 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4185 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4188 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4189 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4193 @node Group Timestamp
4194 @subsection Group Timestamp
4196 @cindex group timestamps
4198 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4199 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4200 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4203 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4206 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4208 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4209 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4212 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4213 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4216 This will result in lines looking like:
4219 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4220 0: custom 19961002T012713
4223 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4224 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4228 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4229 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4232 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4233 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4237 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4238 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4239 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4240 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4242 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4248 @subsection File Commands
4249 @cindex file commands
4255 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4256 @vindex gnus-init-file
4257 @cindex reading init file
4258 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4259 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4263 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4264 @cindex saving .newsrc
4265 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4266 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4267 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4270 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4271 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4272 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4277 @node Sieve Commands
4278 @subsection Sieve Commands
4279 @cindex group sieve commands
4281 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4282 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4283 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4284 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4285 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4287 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4288 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4289 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4290 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4291 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4292 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4293 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4294 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4295 regenerate the Sieve script.
4297 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4298 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4299 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4300 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4301 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4302 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4303 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4304 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4305 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4306 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4309 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4310 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4315 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4321 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4322 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4323 @cindex generating sieve script
4324 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4325 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4329 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4330 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4331 @cindex updating sieve script
4332 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4333 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4334 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4339 @node Summary Buffer
4340 @chapter Summary Buffer
4341 @cindex summary buffer
4343 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4344 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4346 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4347 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4349 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4352 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4353 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4354 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4355 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4356 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4357 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4358 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4359 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4360 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4361 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4362 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4363 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4364 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4365 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4366 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4367 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4368 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4369 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4370 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4371 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4372 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4373 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4374 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4375 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4376 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4377 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4378 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4379 or reselecting the current group.
4380 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4381 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4382 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4383 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4387 @node Summary Buffer Format
4388 @section Summary Buffer Format
4389 @cindex summary buffer format
4393 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4394 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4395 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4401 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4402 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4403 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4404 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4407 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4408 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4409 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4410 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4411 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4412 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4413 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4414 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4415 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4416 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4417 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4420 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4421 'mail-extract-address-components)
4424 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4425 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4426 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4427 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4430 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4431 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4433 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4434 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4435 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4436 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4437 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4439 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4440 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4441 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4442 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4443 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4444 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4446 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4448 The following format specification characters and extended format
4449 specification(s) are understood:
4455 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4456 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4458 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4459 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4460 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4462 Full @code{From} header.
4464 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4466 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4469 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4470 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4471 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4472 may be more thorough.
4474 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4477 Number of lines in the article.
4479 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4480 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4482 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4483 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4485 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4487 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4490 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4491 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4493 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4494 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4496 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4497 for adopted articles.
4499 One space for each thread level.
4501 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4503 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4506 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4507 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4508 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4511 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4513 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4514 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4515 default level. If the difference between
4516 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4517 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4525 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4527 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4533 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4534 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4536 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4537 article has any children.
4543 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4544 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4546 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4547 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4548 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4549 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4550 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4551 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4554 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4555 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4556 There can only be one such area.
4558 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4559 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4560 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4561 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4562 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4563 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4565 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4566 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4568 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4571 @node To From Newsgroups
4572 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4576 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4577 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4578 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4579 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4580 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4584 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4585 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4586 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4590 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4591 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4594 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4595 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4598 @findex gnus-extra-header
4599 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4600 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4601 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4604 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4608 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4609 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4610 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4611 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4612 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4613 headers are used instead.
4617 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4618 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4619 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4620 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4621 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4622 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4624 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4625 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4626 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4627 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4629 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4633 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4635 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4636 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4637 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4638 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4642 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4645 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4646 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4649 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4650 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4651 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4657 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4658 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4661 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4662 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4664 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4665 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4666 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4667 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4669 Here are the elements you can play with:
4675 Unprefixed group name.
4677 Current article number.
4679 Current article score.
4683 Number of unread articles in this group.
4685 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4688 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4689 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4690 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4691 and no unselected ones.
4693 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4694 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4696 Subject of the current article.
4698 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4700 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4702 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4704 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4706 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4708 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4712 @node Summary Highlighting
4713 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4717 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4718 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4719 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4720 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4721 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4723 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4724 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4725 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4726 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4728 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4729 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4730 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4731 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4733 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4734 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4735 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4736 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4737 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4738 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4741 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4742 ((> score default) . bold))
4744 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4745 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4749 @node Summary Maneuvering
4750 @section Summary Maneuvering
4751 @cindex summary movement
4753 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4754 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4756 None of these commands select articles.
4761 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4762 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4763 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4764 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4765 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4769 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4770 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4771 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4772 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4773 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4776 @kindex G g (Summary)
4777 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4778 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4779 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4782 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4783 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4784 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4785 to the group buffer.
4787 Variables related to summary movement:
4791 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4792 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4793 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4794 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4795 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4796 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4797 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4798 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4799 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4800 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4801 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4802 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4803 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4804 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4806 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4807 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4808 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4809 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4810 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4811 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4812 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4814 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4816 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4817 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4818 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4819 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4820 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4822 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4823 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4824 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4825 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4826 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4827 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4828 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4829 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4832 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4833 the given number of lines from the top.
4838 @node Choosing Articles
4839 @section Choosing Articles
4840 @cindex selecting articles
4843 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4844 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4848 @node Choosing Commands
4849 @subsection Choosing Commands
4851 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4852 and they all select and display an article.
4854 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4855 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4859 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4860 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4861 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4862 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4867 @kindex G n (Summary)
4868 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4869 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4870 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4875 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4876 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4877 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4882 @kindex G N (Summary)
4883 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4884 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4889 @kindex G P (Summary)
4890 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4891 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4894 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4895 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4896 Go to the next article with the same subject
4897 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4900 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4901 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4902 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4903 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4907 @kindex G f (Summary)
4909 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4910 Go to the first unread article
4911 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4915 @kindex G b (Summary)
4917 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4918 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4919 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4920 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4925 @kindex G l (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4927 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4930 @kindex G o (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4933 @cindex article history
4934 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4935 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4936 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4937 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4938 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4939 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4944 @kindex G j (Summary)
4945 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4946 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4947 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4952 @node Choosing Variables
4953 @subsection Choosing Variables
4955 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4958 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4959 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4960 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4961 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4962 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4963 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4965 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4966 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4967 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4968 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4970 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4971 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4972 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4973 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4974 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4975 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4976 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4977 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4978 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4979 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4980 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4981 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4982 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4983 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4988 @node Paging the Article
4989 @section Scrolling the Article
4990 @cindex article scrolling
4995 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4996 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4997 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4998 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4999 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5002 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5004 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5007 @kindex RET (Summary)
5008 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5009 Scroll the current article one line forward
5010 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5013 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5014 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5015 Scroll the current article one line backward
5016 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5020 @kindex A g (Summary)
5022 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5023 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5024 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5025 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5026 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5027 the way it came from the server.
5029 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5030 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5031 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5034 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5039 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5044 @kindex A < (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5046 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5047 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5052 @kindex A > (Summary)
5053 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5054 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5058 @kindex A s (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5061 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5062 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5066 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5067 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5072 @node Reply Followup and Post
5073 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5076 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5077 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5078 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5079 * Canceling and Superseding::
5083 @node Summary Mail Commands
5084 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5086 @cindex composing mail
5088 Commands for composing a mail message:
5094 @kindex S r (Summary)
5096 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5097 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5098 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5099 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5100 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5105 @kindex S R (Summary)
5106 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5107 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5108 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5109 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5110 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5113 @kindex S w (Summary)
5114 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5115 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5116 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5117 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5118 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5121 @kindex S W (Summary)
5122 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5123 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5124 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5125 the process/prefix convention.
5128 @kindex S v (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5130 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5131 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5132 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5133 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5134 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5137 @kindex S V (Summary)
5138 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5139 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5140 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5141 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5144 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5145 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5146 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5147 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5150 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5151 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5152 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5153 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5154 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5158 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5159 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5160 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5161 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5162 Forward the current article to some other person
5163 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5164 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5165 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5166 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5167 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5168 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5169 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5170 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5171 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5177 @kindex S m (Summary)
5178 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5179 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5180 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5181 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5182 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5187 @kindex S i (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5189 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5190 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5191 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5193 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5194 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5195 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5196 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5197 for this to work though.
5200 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5201 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5202 @cindex bouncing mail
5203 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5204 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5205 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5206 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5207 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5208 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5209 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5210 very well fail, though.
5213 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5215 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5216 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5217 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5218 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5219 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5220 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5221 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5222 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5224 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5225 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5226 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5227 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5228 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5230 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5231 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5234 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5235 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5236 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5237 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5238 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5241 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5242 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5243 @cindex crossposting
5244 @cindex excessive crossposting
5245 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5246 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5248 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5249 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5250 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5251 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5252 command understands the process/prefix convention
5253 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5257 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5258 Manual}, for more information.
5261 @node Summary Post Commands
5262 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5264 @cindex composing news
5266 Commands for posting a news article:
5272 @kindex S p (Summary)
5273 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5274 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5275 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5276 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5277 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5282 @kindex S f (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5284 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5285 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5289 @kindex S F (Summary)
5291 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5292 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5293 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5294 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5295 process/prefix convention.
5298 @kindex S n (Summary)
5299 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5300 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5301 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5304 @kindex S N (Summary)
5305 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5306 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5307 message through mail and include the original message
5308 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5309 the process/prefix convention.
5312 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5314 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5315 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5316 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5317 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5318 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5319 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5320 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5321 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5322 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5323 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5324 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5327 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5328 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5330 @cindex making digests
5331 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5332 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5333 process/prefix convention.
5336 @kindex S u (Summary)
5337 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5338 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5339 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5340 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5343 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5344 Manual}, for more information.
5347 @node Summary Message Commands
5348 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5352 @kindex S y (Summary)
5353 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5354 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5355 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5356 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5357 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5362 @node Canceling and Superseding
5363 @subsection Canceling Articles
5364 @cindex canceling articles
5365 @cindex superseding articles
5367 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5368 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5370 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5372 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5374 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5375 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5376 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5377 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5378 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5379 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5381 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5382 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5385 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5386 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5387 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5389 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5390 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5391 your original article.
5393 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5395 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5396 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5397 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5400 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5401 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5402 have posted almost the same article twice.
5404 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5405 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5406 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5407 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5408 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5409 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5410 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5411 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5412 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5413 canceled/superseded.
5415 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5417 @node Delayed Articles
5418 @section Delayed Articles
5419 @cindex delayed sending
5420 @cindex send delayed
5422 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5423 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5424 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5425 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5428 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5431 @findex gnus-delay-article
5432 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5433 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5434 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5435 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5439 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5440 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5441 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5442 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5445 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5446 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5447 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5450 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5451 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5452 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5453 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5454 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5455 that means a time tomorrow.
5458 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5459 couple of variables:
5462 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5463 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5464 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5465 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5467 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5468 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5469 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5470 formats described above.
5472 @item gnus-delay-group
5473 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5474 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5475 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5476 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5478 @item gnus-delay-header
5479 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5480 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5481 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5482 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5485 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5486 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5487 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5488 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5489 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5491 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5492 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5493 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5494 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5495 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5496 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5499 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5500 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5501 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5502 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5503 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-nil,
5504 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5505 argument is ignored.
5507 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5508 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5509 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5513 @node Marking Articles
5514 @section Marking Articles
5515 @cindex article marking
5516 @cindex article ticking
5519 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5521 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5522 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5523 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5525 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5528 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5529 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5530 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5534 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5538 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5539 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5540 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5544 @node Unread Articles
5545 @subsection Unread Articles
5547 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5552 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5553 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5555 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5556 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5557 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5558 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5559 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5560 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5561 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5564 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5565 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5567 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5568 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5569 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5570 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5574 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5575 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5577 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5582 @subsection Read Articles
5583 @cindex expirable mark
5585 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5590 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5591 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5592 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5595 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5596 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5599 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5600 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5601 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5604 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5605 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5608 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5609 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5612 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5613 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5616 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5617 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5620 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5621 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5624 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5625 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5628 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5629 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5633 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5634 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5635 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5639 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5640 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5642 One more special mark, though:
5646 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5647 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5649 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5650 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5651 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5652 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5658 @subsection Other Marks
5659 @cindex process mark
5662 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5668 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5669 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5670 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5671 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5672 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5675 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5676 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5677 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5678 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5681 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5682 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5683 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5686 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5687 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5688 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5691 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5692 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5693 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5694 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5697 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5698 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5699 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5700 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5701 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5702 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5705 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5706 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5707 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5708 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5711 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5712 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might not
5713 have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you are
5714 offline (unplugged). These articles get the @samp{@@} mark in the
5715 first column. (The variable @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls
5716 which character to use.)
5719 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5720 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5721 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5722 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5723 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5724 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5728 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5729 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5730 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5731 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5732 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5735 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5736 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5737 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5738 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5739 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5740 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5744 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5745 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5746 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5748 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5749 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5750 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5754 @subsection Setting Marks
5755 @cindex setting marks
5757 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5762 @kindex M c (Summary)
5763 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5764 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5765 @cindex mark as unread
5766 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5767 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5773 @kindex M t (Summary)
5774 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5775 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5776 @xref{Article Caching}.
5781 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5782 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5783 Mark the current article as dormant
5784 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5788 @kindex M d (Summary)
5790 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5791 Mark the current article as read
5792 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5796 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5797 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5798 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5803 @kindex M k (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5805 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5806 and then select the next unread article
5807 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5811 @kindex M K (Summary)
5812 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5814 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5815 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5818 @kindex M C (Summary)
5819 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5820 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5821 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5824 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5826 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5827 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5830 @kindex M H (Summary)
5831 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5832 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5833 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5836 @kindex M h (Summary)
5837 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5838 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5839 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5842 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5843 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5844 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5845 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5848 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5849 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5850 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5851 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5855 @kindex M e (Summary)
5857 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5858 Mark the current article as expirable
5859 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5862 @kindex M b (Summary)
5863 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5864 Set a bookmark in the current article
5865 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5868 @kindex M B (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5870 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5871 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5874 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5875 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5876 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5877 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5880 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5882 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5883 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5886 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5887 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5888 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5889 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5890 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5893 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5894 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5895 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5896 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5897 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5898 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5899 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5900 The default is @code{t}.
5903 @node Generic Marking Commands
5904 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5906 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5907 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5908 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5909 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5910 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5913 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5914 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5917 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5918 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5919 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5920 to list in this manual.
5922 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5923 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5924 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5925 article, you could say something like:
5928 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5929 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5930 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5936 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5937 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5941 @node Setting Process Marks
5942 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5943 @cindex setting process marks
5945 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
5946 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
5947 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
5948 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
5949 commands into the cache. For more information,
5950 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
5957 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5958 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5959 Mark the current article with the process mark
5960 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5961 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5965 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5966 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5967 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5968 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5971 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5973 Remove the process mark from all articles
5974 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5977 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5979 Invert the list of process marked articles
5980 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5983 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5985 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5986 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5989 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5991 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5992 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5995 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5996 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5997 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6001 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6002 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6005 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6007 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6008 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6011 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6013 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6014 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6017 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6019 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6020 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6023 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6025 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6028 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6029 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6030 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6031 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6034 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6036 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6039 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6041 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6042 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6045 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6047 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6051 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6053 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6054 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6057 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6059 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6060 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6064 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6065 set process marks based on article body contents.
6072 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6073 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6074 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6077 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6078 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6079 additional articles.
6085 @kindex / / (Summary)
6086 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6087 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6088 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6092 @kindex / a (Summary)
6093 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6094 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6095 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6099 @kindex / x (Summary)
6100 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6101 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6102 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6103 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6108 @kindex / u (Summary)
6110 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6111 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6112 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6113 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6114 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6117 @kindex / m (Summary)
6118 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6119 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6120 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6123 @kindex / t (Summary)
6124 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6125 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6126 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6127 articles younger than that number of days.
6130 @kindex / n (Summary)
6131 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6132 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6133 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6134 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6137 @kindex / w (Summary)
6138 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6139 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6140 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6144 @kindex / . (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6146 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6147 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6150 @kindex / v (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6152 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6153 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6156 @kindex / p (Summary)
6157 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6158 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6159 group parameter predicate
6160 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6161 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6165 @kindex M S (Summary)
6166 @kindex / E (Summary)
6167 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6168 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6169 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6172 @kindex / D (Summary)
6173 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6174 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6175 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6178 @kindex / * (Summary)
6179 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6180 Include all cached articles in the limit
6181 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6184 @kindex / d (Summary)
6185 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6186 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6187 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6190 @kindex / M (Summary)
6191 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6192 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6195 @kindex / T (Summary)
6196 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6197 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6200 @kindex / c (Summary)
6201 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6202 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6203 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6206 @kindex / C (Summary)
6207 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6208 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6209 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6210 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6213 @kindex / N (Summary)
6214 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6215 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6216 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6219 @kindex / o (Summary)
6220 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6221 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6222 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6230 @cindex article threading
6232 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6233 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6234 hierarchical fashion.
6236 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6237 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6238 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6239 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6240 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6241 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6242 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6244 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6248 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6251 A tree-like article structure.
6254 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6257 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6258 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6259 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6260 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6261 called loose threads.
6263 @item thread gathering
6264 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6266 @item sparse threads
6267 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6268 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6274 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6275 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6279 @node Customizing Threading
6280 @subsection Customizing Threading
6281 @cindex customizing threading
6284 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6285 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6286 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6287 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6292 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6295 @cindex loose threads
6298 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6299 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6300 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6301 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6302 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6303 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6305 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6306 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6307 There are four possible values:
6311 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6312 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6313 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6314 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6315 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6320 @cindex adopting articles
6325 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6326 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6327 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6328 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6331 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6332 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6333 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6334 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6335 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6336 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6337 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6338 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6339 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6340 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to t.
6343 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6344 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6345 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6349 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6350 display them after one another.
6353 Don't gather loose threads.
6356 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6357 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6358 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6359 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6360 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6361 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6362 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6363 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6364 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6365 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6366 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6368 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6369 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6370 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6373 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6374 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6375 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6376 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6377 simplification is used.
6379 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6380 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6381 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6382 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6384 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6386 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6392 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6393 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6394 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6395 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6400 (mapconcat 'identity
6401 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6403 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6406 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6409 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6410 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6411 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6412 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6413 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6414 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6416 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6419 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6420 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6421 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6423 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6424 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6427 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6428 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6429 Remove excessive whitespace.
6431 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6432 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6433 Remove all whitespace.
6436 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6439 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6440 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6441 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6442 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6443 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6444 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6445 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6446 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6448 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6449 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6450 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6451 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6452 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6453 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6454 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6455 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6456 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6460 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6461 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6462 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6463 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6465 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6466 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6467 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6470 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6474 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6475 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6481 @node Filling In Threads
6482 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6485 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6486 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6487 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6488 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6489 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6490 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6491 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6492 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6493 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6494 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6495 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6496 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6499 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6500 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6501 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6503 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6504 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6505 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6506 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6507 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6508 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6509 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6510 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6511 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6512 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6513 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6514 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6515 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6516 @code{nil} by default.
6518 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6519 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6520 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6521 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6522 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6523 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6524 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6526 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6527 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6528 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6533 @node More Threading
6534 @subsubsection More Threading
6537 @item gnus-show-threads
6538 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6539 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6540 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6541 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6542 slower and more awkward.
6544 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6545 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6546 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6549 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6550 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6551 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6556 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6557 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6558 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6561 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6562 unread, but you get my drift.)
6565 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6566 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6567 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6568 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6569 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6570 threads are expunged.
6572 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6573 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6574 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6577 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6578 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6579 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6580 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6581 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6582 result in a new thread.
6584 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6585 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6586 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6589 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6590 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6591 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6592 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6593 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6594 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6595 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6596 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6597 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6598 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6599 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6604 @node Low-Level Threading
6605 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6609 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6610 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6611 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6613 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6614 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6615 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6616 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6617 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6618 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6619 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6620 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6621 meaningful. Here's one example:
6624 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6626 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6627 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6629 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6631 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6638 @node Thread Commands
6639 @subsection Thread Commands
6640 @cindex thread commands
6646 @kindex T k (Summary)
6647 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6649 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6650 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6651 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6656 @kindex T l (Summary)
6657 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6658 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6659 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6660 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6663 @kindex T i (Summary)
6664 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6665 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6666 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6669 @kindex T # (Summary)
6670 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6671 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6672 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6675 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6676 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6677 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6678 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6681 @kindex T T (Summary)
6682 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6683 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6686 @kindex T s (Summary)
6687 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6688 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6689 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6692 @kindex T h (Summary)
6693 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6694 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6697 @kindex T S (Summary)
6698 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6699 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6702 @kindex T H (Summary)
6703 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6704 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6707 @kindex T t (Summary)
6708 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6709 Re-thread the current article's thread
6710 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6711 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6714 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6715 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6716 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6717 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6721 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6722 understand the numeric prefix.
6727 @kindex T n (Summary)
6729 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6731 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6732 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6733 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6736 @kindex T p (Summary)
6738 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6740 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6741 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6742 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6745 @kindex T d (Summary)
6746 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6747 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6750 @kindex T u (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6752 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6755 @kindex T o (Summary)
6756 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6757 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6760 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6761 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6762 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6763 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6764 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6765 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6766 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6767 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6768 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6769 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6770 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6771 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6775 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6776 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6778 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6779 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6780 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6781 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6782 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6783 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6784 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6785 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6786 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6787 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6788 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6789 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6790 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6792 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6793 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6794 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6795 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6796 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6797 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6798 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6799 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6801 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6802 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6803 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6805 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6806 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6807 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6808 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6809 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6810 ascending article order.
6812 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6813 by number, you could do something like:
6816 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6817 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6818 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6819 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6822 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6823 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6824 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6825 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6826 which the articles arrived.
6828 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6832 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6834 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6835 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6838 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6839 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6840 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6841 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6844 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6845 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6846 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6847 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6848 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6849 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6850 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6851 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6852 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6853 variable. It is very similar to the
6854 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6855 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6856 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6857 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6858 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6859 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6860 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6862 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6866 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6867 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6868 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6873 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6874 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6875 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6876 @cindex article pre-fetch
6879 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6880 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6881 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6882 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6883 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6885 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6886 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6888 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6889 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6890 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6891 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6892 connection is blocked.
6894 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6895 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6896 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6897 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6899 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6900 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6901 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6902 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6905 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6908 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6909 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6910 happen automatically.
6912 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6913 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6914 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6915 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6916 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6917 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6918 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6920 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6921 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6922 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6923 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6924 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6925 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6926 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6927 data structure as the only parameter.
6929 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6932 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6933 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6934 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6935 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6938 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6941 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6942 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6943 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6945 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6946 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6947 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6948 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6952 Remove articles when they are read.
6955 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6958 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6960 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6961 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6962 @c from the next group.
6965 @node Article Caching
6966 @section Article Caching
6967 @cindex article caching
6970 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6971 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6972 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6973 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6974 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6976 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6978 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6979 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6980 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6981 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6982 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6983 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6984 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6985 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6987 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6988 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6989 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6990 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6991 as dormant, and don't worry.
6993 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6995 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6996 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6997 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6998 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6999 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7000 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7001 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7002 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7003 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7004 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7006 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7007 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7008 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7009 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7010 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7011 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7012 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7013 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7014 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7015 not then be downloaded by this command.
7017 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7018 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7019 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7020 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7021 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7022 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7024 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7025 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7026 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7027 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7028 variables, the group is not cached.
7030 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7031 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7032 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7033 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7034 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7035 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7036 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7037 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7038 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7041 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7042 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7043 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7044 where, isn't that cool?
7046 @node Persistent Articles
7047 @section Persistent Articles
7048 @cindex persistent articles
7050 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7051 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7052 useful in my opinion.
7054 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7055 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7056 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7057 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7058 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7059 the expiry going on at the news server.
7061 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7062 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7063 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7069 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7070 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7073 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7074 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7075 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7076 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7080 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7082 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7083 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7084 interested in persistent articles:
7087 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7091 @node Article Backlog
7092 @section Article Backlog
7094 @cindex article backlog
7096 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7097 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7098 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7099 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7100 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7101 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7102 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7103 increase memory usage some.
7105 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7106 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7107 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7108 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7109 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7110 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7111 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7113 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
7116 @node Saving Articles
7117 @section Saving Articles
7118 @cindex saving articles
7120 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7121 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7122 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7123 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7124 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7126 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7127 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7128 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7130 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7131 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7132 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7134 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7135 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7136 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7137 deleted before saving.
7143 @kindex O o (Summary)
7145 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7146 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7147 Save the current article using the default article saver
7148 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7151 @kindex O m (Summary)
7152 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7153 Save the current article in mail format
7154 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7157 @kindex O r (Summary)
7158 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7159 Save the current article in rmail format
7160 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7163 @kindex O f (Summary)
7164 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7165 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7166 Save the current article in plain file format
7167 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7170 @kindex O F (Summary)
7171 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7172 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7173 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7176 @kindex O b (Summary)
7177 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7178 Save the current article body in plain file format
7179 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7182 @kindex O h (Summary)
7183 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7184 Save the current article in mh folder format
7185 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7188 @kindex O v (Summary)
7189 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7190 Save the current article in a VM folder
7191 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7195 @kindex O p (Summary)
7197 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7198 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7199 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7200 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7201 complete headers in the piped output.
7204 @kindex O P (Summary)
7205 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7206 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7207 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7208 external program Muttprint (see
7209 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7210 options to use is controlled by the variable
7211 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7215 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7216 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7217 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7218 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7219 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7220 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7221 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7222 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7223 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7224 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7225 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7226 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7230 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7231 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7232 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7233 functions below, or you can create your own.
7237 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7238 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7239 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7240 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7241 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7242 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7243 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7245 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7246 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7247 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7248 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7249 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7250 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7252 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7253 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7254 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7255 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7256 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7257 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7258 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7260 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7261 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7262 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7263 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7264 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7265 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7267 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7268 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7269 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7270 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7271 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7273 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7274 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7275 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7276 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7277 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7280 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7281 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7282 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7283 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7284 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7286 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7287 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7288 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7289 reader to use this setting.
7292 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7293 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7294 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7295 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7298 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7299 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7300 available functions that generate names:
7304 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7305 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7306 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7308 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7309 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7310 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7312 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7313 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7314 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7316 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7317 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7318 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7320 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7321 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7322 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7325 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7326 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7327 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7328 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7329 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7333 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7334 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7335 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7336 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7339 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7340 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7341 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7342 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7343 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7344 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7345 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7346 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7347 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7349 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7350 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7351 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7352 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7354 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7355 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7356 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7359 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7360 lots of mail groups called things like
7361 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7362 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7363 following will do just that:
7366 (defun my-save-name (group)
7367 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7368 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7370 (setq gnus-split-methods
7371 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7376 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7377 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7378 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7379 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7380 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7381 all the files in the top level directory
7382 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7383 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7384 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7385 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7387 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7388 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7389 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7390 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7391 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7394 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7398 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7399 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7400 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7403 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7404 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7405 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7406 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7409 @node Decoding Articles
7410 @section Decoding Articles
7411 @cindex decoding articles
7413 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7414 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7417 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7418 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7419 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7420 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7421 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7422 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7426 @cindex article series
7427 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7428 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7429 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7430 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7431 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7433 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7434 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7435 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7437 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7438 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7439 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7441 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7442 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7443 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7446 @node Uuencoded Articles
7447 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7449 @cindex uuencoded articles
7454 @kindex X u (Summary)
7455 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7456 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7457 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7460 @kindex X U (Summary)
7461 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7462 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7463 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7466 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7467 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7468 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7471 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7473 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7474 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7478 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7479 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7480 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7481 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7482 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7484 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7485 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7486 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7487 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7490 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7491 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7492 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7493 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7494 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7495 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7499 @node Shell Archives
7500 @subsection Shell Archives
7502 @cindex shell archives
7503 @cindex shared articles
7505 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7506 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7507 some commands to deal with these:
7512 @kindex X s (Summary)
7513 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7514 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7517 @kindex X S (Summary)
7518 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7519 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7522 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7523 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7524 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7527 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7528 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7529 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7530 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7534 @node PostScript Files
7535 @subsection PostScript Files
7541 @kindex X p (Summary)
7542 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7543 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7546 @kindex X P (Summary)
7547 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7548 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7549 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7552 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7553 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7554 View the current PostScript series
7555 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7558 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7559 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7560 View and save the current PostScript series
7561 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7566 @subsection Other Files
7570 @kindex X o (Summary)
7571 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7572 Save the current series
7573 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7576 @kindex X b (Summary)
7577 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7578 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7579 doesn't really work yet.
7583 @node Decoding Variables
7584 @subsection Decoding Variables
7586 Adjective, not verb.
7589 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7590 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7591 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7595 @node Rule Variables
7596 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7597 @cindex rule variables
7599 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7600 variables are of the form
7603 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7610 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7611 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7613 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7614 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7617 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7618 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7621 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7622 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7623 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7624 user and default view rules.
7626 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7627 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7628 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7633 @node Other Decode Variables
7634 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7637 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7639 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7640 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7641 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7642 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7643 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7647 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7648 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7651 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7652 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7653 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7656 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7657 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7658 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7659 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7660 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7663 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7664 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7665 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7667 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7668 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7669 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7670 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7671 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7674 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7675 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7676 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7678 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7679 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7680 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7681 looking for files to display.
7683 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7684 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7685 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7688 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7689 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7690 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7693 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7694 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7695 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7698 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7699 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7700 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7703 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7704 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7705 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7706 decoded articles as unread.
7708 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7709 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7710 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7711 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7713 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7714 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7715 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7717 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7718 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7720 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7721 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7722 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7723 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7725 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7726 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7727 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7728 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7729 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7730 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7731 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7732 simply dropped them.
7737 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7738 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7742 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7743 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7744 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7745 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7746 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7747 for you when you post the article.
7749 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7750 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7751 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7752 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7754 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7755 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7756 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7757 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7758 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7759 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7760 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7762 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7763 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7764 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7765 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7766 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7767 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7768 Default is @code{t}.
7774 @subsection Viewing Files
7775 @cindex viewing files
7776 @cindex pseudo-articles
7778 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7779 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7780 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7781 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7782 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7783 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7784 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7786 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7787 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7788 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7789 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7791 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7792 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7793 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7795 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7796 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7797 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7798 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7799 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7801 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7802 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7803 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7804 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7805 a list of parameters to that command.
7807 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7808 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7809 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7811 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7812 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7813 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7816 @node Article Treatment
7817 @section Article Treatment
7819 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7820 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7821 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7822 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7823 these articles easier.
7826 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7827 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7828 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7829 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7830 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7831 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7832 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7833 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7834 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7835 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7839 @node Article Highlighting
7840 @subsection Article Highlighting
7841 @cindex highlighting
7843 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7844 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7849 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7850 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7851 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7852 Do much highlighting of the current article
7853 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7854 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7857 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7858 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7859 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7860 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7861 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7862 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7863 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7864 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7865 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7866 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7867 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7868 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7871 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7872 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7873 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7875 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7878 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7880 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7881 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7882 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7884 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7885 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7886 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7888 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7889 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7890 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7891 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7892 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7893 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7895 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7896 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7897 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7899 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7900 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7901 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7903 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7904 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7905 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7906 that it's a citation.
7908 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7909 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7910 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7912 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7913 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7914 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7916 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7917 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7918 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7919 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7925 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7926 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7927 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7928 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7929 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7930 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7931 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7932 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7937 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7940 @node Article Fontisizing
7941 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7943 @cindex article emphasis
7945 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7946 @kindex W e (Summary)
7947 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7948 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7949 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7950 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7952 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7953 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7954 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7955 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7956 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7957 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7958 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7959 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7963 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7964 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7965 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7974 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7975 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7976 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7977 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7978 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7979 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7980 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7981 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7982 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7983 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7984 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7985 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7986 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7988 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7989 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7990 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7994 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7997 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7999 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8000 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8001 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8002 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8004 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8007 @node Article Hiding
8008 @subsection Article Hiding
8009 @cindex article hiding
8011 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8012 too much cruft in most articles.
8017 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8018 @findex gnus-article-hide
8019 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8020 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8021 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8024 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8025 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8026 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8030 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8032 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8033 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8036 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8037 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8038 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8042 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8043 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8044 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8045 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8046 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8047 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8048 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8049 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8053 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8054 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8055 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8056 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8061 @kindex W W p (Summary)
8062 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
8063 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8064 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
8065 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
8066 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
8067 articles that have signatures in them do:
8069 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
8071 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
8073 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
8074 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
8076 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8079 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
8084 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8085 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8086 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8087 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8090 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8091 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8092 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8093 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8096 @cindex stripping advertisements
8097 @cindex advertisements
8098 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8099 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8100 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8101 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8102 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8103 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8104 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8105 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8106 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8107 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8110 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8111 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8112 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8116 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8117 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8118 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8119 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8120 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8121 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8122 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8123 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8124 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8125 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8126 following element to remove them:
8129 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8135 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8136 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8137 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8138 customizing the hiding:
8142 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8143 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8144 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8145 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8146 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8147 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8148 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8153 Starting point of the hidden text.
8155 Ending point of the hidden text.
8157 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8159 Number of lines of hidden text.
8162 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8163 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8164 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8165 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8166 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8171 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8172 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8174 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8175 following two variables:
8178 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8179 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8180 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8181 50), hide the cited text.
8183 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8184 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8185 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8190 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8191 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8192 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8193 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8194 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8195 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8199 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8200 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8201 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8203 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8204 citation customization.
8206 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8210 @node Article Washing
8211 @subsection Article Washing
8213 @cindex article washing
8215 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8216 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8218 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8219 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8222 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8223 articles by default.
8228 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8229 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8233 @kindex W l (Summary)
8234 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8235 Remove page breaks from the current article
8236 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8240 @kindex W r (Summary)
8241 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8242 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8243 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8244 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8245 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8246 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8248 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8249 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8250 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8251 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8254 @kindex W m (Summary)
8255 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8256 @c @icon{gnus-summary-morse-message}
8257 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8261 @kindex W t (Summary)
8263 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8264 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8265 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8268 @kindex W v (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8270 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8271 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8274 @kindex W o (Summary)
8275 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8276 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8279 @kindex W d (Summary)
8280 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8281 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8283 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8285 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8286 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8287 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8288 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8291 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8292 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8293 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8294 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8297 @kindex W k (Summary)
8298 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8299 @cindex Outlook Express
8300 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8301 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8304 @kindex W w (Summary)
8305 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8306 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8308 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8312 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8313 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8314 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8317 @kindex W C (Summary)
8318 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8319 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8320 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8323 @kindex W c (Summary)
8324 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8325 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8326 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8327 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8328 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8331 @kindex W q (Summary)
8332 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8333 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8334 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8335 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8336 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8337 readable to me. Note that this is usually done automatically by
8338 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8339 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8340 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8343 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8344 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8345 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8346 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8347 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8348 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8349 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8351 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8354 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8355 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8356 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8357 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8358 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8361 @kindex W u (Summary)
8362 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8363 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8364 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8365 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8366 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8369 @kindex W h (Summary)
8370 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8371 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8372 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8373 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8375 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8377 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8378 The default is to use the function specified by
8379 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{(emacs-mime)Display
8380 Customization}) to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by
8381 the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions
8382 you can use include:
8389 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8393 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8396 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8399 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8404 @kindex W b (Summary)
8405 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8406 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8407 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8410 @kindex W B (Summary)
8411 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8412 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8413 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8416 @kindex W p (Summary)
8417 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8418 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8419 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8420 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8421 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8422 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8423 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8426 @kindex W s (Summary)
8427 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8428 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8429 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8432 @kindex W a (Summary)
8433 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8434 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8435 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8438 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8439 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8440 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8441 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8444 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8445 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8446 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8447 lines with a single empty line.
8448 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8451 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8452 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8453 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8454 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8457 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8458 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8459 Do all the three commands above
8460 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8463 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8464 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8465 Remove all blank lines
8466 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8469 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8470 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8471 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8472 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8475 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8476 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8477 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8478 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8482 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8485 @node Article Header
8486 @subsection Article Header
8488 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8493 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8494 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8495 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8498 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8500 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8501 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8504 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8505 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8506 Fold all the message headers
8507 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8511 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8512 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8513 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8518 @node Article Buttons
8519 @subsection Article Buttons
8522 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8523 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8524 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8525 button on these references.
8527 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8528 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8529 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8530 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8531 one that handles article heads:
8535 @item gnus-button-alist
8536 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8537 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8540 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8546 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8547 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8548 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8549 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8550 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8553 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8554 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8555 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8558 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8559 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8560 avoid false matches.
8563 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8566 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8567 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8571 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8574 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8577 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8578 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8579 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8580 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8581 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8584 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8587 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8589 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8590 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8591 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8592 default values of the variables above.
8594 @item gnus-article-button-face
8595 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8596 Face used on buttons.
8598 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8599 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8600 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8604 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8608 @subsection Article Date
8610 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8611 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8612 when the article was sent.
8617 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8618 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8619 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8620 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8623 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8624 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8626 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8627 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8630 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8631 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8632 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8635 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8636 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8637 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8638 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8641 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8642 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8643 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8644 @findex format-time-string
8645 Display the date using a user-defined format
8646 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8647 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8648 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8649 for a list of possible format specs.
8652 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8653 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8654 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8655 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8656 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8657 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8660 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8663 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8664 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8667 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8668 into wonderful absurdities.
8670 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8673 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8676 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8677 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8681 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8682 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8683 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8684 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8685 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8686 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8687 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8691 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8692 preferred format automatically.
8695 @node Article Display
8696 @subsection Article Display
8701 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8702 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8704 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8705 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8707 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8708 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8710 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8711 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8713 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8718 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8719 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8720 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8721 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8724 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8725 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8726 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8729 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8730 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8731 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8734 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8735 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8736 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8737 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8740 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8741 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8742 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8743 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8746 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8747 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8748 Remove all images from the article buffer
8749 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8755 @node Article Signature
8756 @subsection Article Signature
8758 @cindex article signature
8760 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8761 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8762 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8763 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8764 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8765 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8766 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8767 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8768 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8771 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8772 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8773 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8774 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8775 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8776 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8777 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8778 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8781 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8784 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8785 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8786 signature when displaying articles.
8790 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8793 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8796 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8797 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8799 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8800 in question is not a signature.
8803 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8804 listed above. Here's an example:
8807 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8808 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8811 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8812 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8813 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8814 signature after all.
8817 @node Article Miscellania
8818 @subsection Article Miscellania
8822 @kindex A t (Summary)
8823 @findex gnus-article-babel
8824 Translate the article from one language to another
8825 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8831 @section MIME Commands
8832 @cindex MIME decoding
8834 @cindex viewing attachments
8836 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8837 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8843 @kindex K v (Summary)
8844 View the @sc{mime} part.
8847 @kindex K o (Summary)
8848 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8851 @kindex K c (Summary)
8852 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8855 @kindex K e (Summary)
8856 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8859 @kindex K i (Summary)
8860 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8863 @kindex K | (Summary)
8864 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8867 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8872 @kindex K b (Summary)
8873 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8874 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8878 @kindex K m (Summary)
8879 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8880 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8881 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8882 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8883 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8886 @kindex X m (Summary)
8887 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8888 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8889 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8890 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8893 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8894 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8895 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8896 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8899 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8900 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8901 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8902 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8905 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8906 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8907 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8908 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8910 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8911 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8912 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8913 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8914 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8915 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8918 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8919 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8920 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8921 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8928 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8929 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8930 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8931 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8934 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8937 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8941 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8942 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8943 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8944 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8945 displayed or this variable is overridden by
8946 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8947 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
8948 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
8950 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8951 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8952 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8953 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8954 displayed. This variable overrides
8955 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8956 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
8959 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8960 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8961 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
8963 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8964 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8965 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
8966 value is @code{nil}.
8968 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8969 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8970 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8971 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8972 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8973 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8974 save all jpegs into some directory).
8976 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8979 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8980 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8982 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8983 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8984 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8985 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8986 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8989 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8990 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8991 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8993 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8994 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8995 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8996 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8998 Ready-made functions include@*
8999 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9000 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9001 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9002 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9003 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9004 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9005 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9006 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9007 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9008 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9009 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9010 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9012 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9013 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9015 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9016 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9017 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9020 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9021 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9022 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9023 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9027 to your @file{.gnus} file.
9036 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9037 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9038 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9039 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9040 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9041 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9042 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9044 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9045 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9046 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9047 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9049 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9050 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9051 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9052 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9053 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9054 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9055 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9056 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9058 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9059 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9060 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9061 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9062 quoted-printable header encoding.
9064 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9065 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9066 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9070 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9073 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9074 means encode all charsets),
9076 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9077 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9078 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9085 @cindex coding system aliases
9086 @cindex preferred charset
9088 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9090 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9091 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9094 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9095 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9098 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9099 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9101 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9104 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9107 This will almost do the right thing.
9109 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9113 (codepage-setup 1251)
9114 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9118 @node Article Commands
9119 @section Article Commands
9126 @kindex A P (Summary)
9127 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9128 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9129 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9130 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9131 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9132 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9137 @node Summary Sorting
9138 @section Summary Sorting
9139 @cindex summary sorting
9141 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9142 can't really see why you'd want that.
9147 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9148 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9149 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9152 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9153 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9154 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9157 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9158 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9159 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9162 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9163 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9164 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9167 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9168 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9169 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9172 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9173 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9174 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9177 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9178 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9179 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9182 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9183 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9184 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9187 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9188 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9189 Sort using the default sorting method
9190 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9193 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9194 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9195 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9196 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9197 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9201 @node Finding the Parent
9202 @section Finding the Parent
9203 @cindex parent articles
9204 @cindex referring articles
9209 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9210 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9211 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9212 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9213 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9214 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9215 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9216 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9217 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9219 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9220 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9221 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9222 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9223 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9227 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9228 @kindex A R (Summary)
9229 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9230 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9233 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9234 @kindex A T (Summary)
9235 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9236 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9237 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9238 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9239 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9240 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9241 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9243 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9244 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9245 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9246 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9247 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9248 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9251 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9252 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9254 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9255 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9256 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9257 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9258 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9259 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9260 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9263 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9264 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9265 by giving this command a prefix.
9267 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9268 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9269 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9270 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9271 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9272 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9275 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9276 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9277 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9280 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9281 then ask Google if that fails:
9284 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9286 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9289 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9290 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9291 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9292 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9293 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9294 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9295 support this at all.
9298 @node Alternative Approaches
9299 @section Alternative Approaches
9301 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9302 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9305 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9306 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9311 @subsection Pick and Read
9312 @cindex pick and read
9314 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9315 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9316 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9317 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9319 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9320 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9321 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9322 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9323 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9324 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9326 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9331 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9332 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9333 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9334 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9335 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9336 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9337 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9338 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9341 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9342 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9343 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9344 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9348 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9349 Unpick the thread or article
9350 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9351 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9352 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9353 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9354 the thread or article at that line.
9358 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9359 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9360 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9361 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9362 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9363 will still be visible when you are reading.
9367 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9368 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9369 which is mapped to the same function
9370 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9372 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9375 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9378 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9379 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9381 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9382 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9383 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9385 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9386 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9387 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9388 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9389 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9390 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9391 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9395 @subsection Binary Groups
9396 @cindex binary groups
9398 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9399 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9400 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9401 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9402 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9403 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9404 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9407 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9408 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9409 command, when you have turned on this mode
9410 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9412 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9413 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9417 @section Tree Display
9420 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9421 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9422 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9423 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9426 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9429 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9430 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9431 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9433 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9434 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9435 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9436 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9437 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9439 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9440 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9441 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9442 default is @code{modeline}.
9444 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9445 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9446 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9447 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9448 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9449 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9450 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9456 The name of the poster.
9458 The @code{From} header.
9460 The number of the article.
9462 The opening bracket.
9464 The closing bracket.
9469 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9471 Variables related to the display are:
9474 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9475 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9476 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9477 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9478 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9479 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9481 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9482 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9483 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9484 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9488 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9489 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9490 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9491 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9492 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9493 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9494 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9495 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9496 other windows displayed next to it.
9498 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9502 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9503 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9506 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9507 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9508 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9509 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9510 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9511 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9512 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9516 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9519 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9529 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9533 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9534 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9536 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9538 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9543 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9544 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9545 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9548 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9549 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9550 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9551 (gnus-add-configuration
9555 (summary 0.75 point)
9560 @xref{Window Layout}.
9563 @node Mail Group Commands
9564 @section Mail Group Commands
9565 @cindex mail group commands
9567 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9568 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9570 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9571 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9576 @kindex B e (Summary)
9577 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9578 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9579 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9580 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9581 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9584 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9585 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9586 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9587 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9588 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9589 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9592 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9593 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9594 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9595 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9596 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9597 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9600 @kindex B m (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9603 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9604 Move the article from one mail group to another
9605 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9606 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9609 @kindex B c (Summary)
9611 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9612 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9613 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9614 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9615 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9618 @kindex B B (Summary)
9619 @cindex crosspost mail
9620 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9621 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9622 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9623 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9624 be properly updated.
9627 @kindex B i (Summary)
9628 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9629 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9630 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9631 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9634 @kindex B I (Summary)
9635 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9636 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9637 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9638 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9641 @kindex B r (Summary)
9642 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9643 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9644 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9645 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9646 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9647 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9648 (which is the default).
9652 @kindex B w (Summary)
9654 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9655 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9656 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9657 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9658 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9659 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9660 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9663 @kindex B q (Summary)
9664 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9665 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9666 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9667 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9670 @kindex B t (Summary)
9671 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9672 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9673 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9676 @kindex B p (Summary)
9677 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9678 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9679 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9680 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9681 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9682 article from your news server (or rather, from
9683 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9684 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9685 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9686 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9687 just not have arrived yet.
9690 @kindex K E (Summary)
9691 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9692 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9693 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9694 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9695 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9699 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9700 @cindex moving articles
9701 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9702 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9703 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9704 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9705 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9706 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9707 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9710 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9711 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9712 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9713 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9717 @node Various Summary Stuff
9718 @section Various Summary Stuff
9721 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9722 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9723 * Summary Generation Commands::
9724 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9728 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9729 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9730 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9732 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9733 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9734 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9735 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9736 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9737 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9740 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9741 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9742 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9743 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9744 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9746 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9747 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9748 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9751 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9752 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9753 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9754 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9755 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9756 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9757 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9758 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9759 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9760 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9762 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9763 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9764 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9765 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9766 list of articles to be selected.
9768 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9769 the list in one particular group:
9772 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9773 (if (string= group "some.group")
9774 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9778 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9779 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9780 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9781 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9782 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9783 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9784 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9785 buffers. For example:
9788 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9789 '(message-use-followup-to
9790 (gnus-visible-headers .
9791 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9797 @node Summary Group Information
9798 @subsection Summary Group Information
9803 @kindex H f (Summary)
9804 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9805 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9806 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9807 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9808 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9809 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9810 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9811 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9812 be used for fetching the file.
9815 @kindex H d (Summary)
9816 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9817 Give a brief description of the current group
9818 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9819 rereading the description from the server.
9822 @kindex H h (Summary)
9823 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9824 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9825 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9828 @kindex H i (Summary)
9829 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9830 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9834 @node Searching for Articles
9835 @subsection Searching for Articles
9840 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9841 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9842 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9843 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9846 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9847 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9848 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9849 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9853 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9854 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9855 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9856 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9857 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9858 search backward instead.
9860 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9861 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9864 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9865 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9866 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9867 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9870 @node Summary Generation Commands
9871 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9876 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9877 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9878 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9881 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9882 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9883 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9884 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9887 @kindex Y d (Summary)
9888 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
9889 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9890 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
9895 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9896 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9902 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9903 @kindex A D (Summary)
9904 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9905 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9906 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9907 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9908 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9909 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9910 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9911 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9915 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9916 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9917 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9918 several documents into one biiig group
9919 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9920 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9921 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9922 command understands the process/prefix convention
9923 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9926 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9927 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9928 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9929 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9930 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9931 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9935 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9936 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9937 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9940 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9941 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9942 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9943 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9946 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9947 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9948 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9949 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9954 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9955 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9956 @cindex summary exit
9957 @cindex exiting groups
9959 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9960 group and return you to the group buffer.
9966 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9968 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9969 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9970 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9971 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9972 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9973 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9974 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9975 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9976 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9977 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9978 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9982 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9984 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9985 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9986 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9990 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9992 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9993 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9994 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9995 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9998 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9999 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10000 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10001 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10004 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10005 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10006 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10007 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10010 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10011 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10012 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10013 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10014 all articles, both read and unread.
10018 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10019 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10020 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10021 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10022 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10023 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10024 articles, both read and unread.
10027 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10028 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10029 Exit the group and go to the next group
10030 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10033 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10034 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10035 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10036 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10039 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10040 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10041 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10042 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10043 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10044 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10047 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10048 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10049 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10050 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10052 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10053 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10054 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10055 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10056 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10057 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10058 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10059 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10060 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10061 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10062 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10063 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10065 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10067 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10068 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10069 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10070 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10071 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10072 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10073 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10074 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10075 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10078 @node Crosspost Handling
10079 @section Crosspost Handling
10083 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10084 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10085 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10086 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10087 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10088 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10091 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10092 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10093 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10094 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10095 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10097 @cindex cross-posting
10100 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10101 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10102 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10103 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10104 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10105 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10106 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10107 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10108 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10109 the cross reference mechanism.
10111 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10112 @cindex overview.fmt
10113 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10114 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10115 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10116 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10117 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10118 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10121 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10122 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10123 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10128 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10131 @node Duplicate Suppression
10132 @section Duplicate Suppression
10134 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10135 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10136 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10137 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10142 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10143 is evil and not very common.
10146 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10147 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10150 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10151 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10154 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10157 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10158 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10160 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10161 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10162 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10163 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10164 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10165 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10166 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10169 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10170 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10171 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10172 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10173 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10174 saw the article in.
10177 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10178 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10179 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10181 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10182 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10183 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10184 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10185 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10186 session are suppressed.
10188 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10189 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10190 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10191 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10193 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10194 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10195 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10196 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10199 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10200 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10201 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10202 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10203 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10204 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10205 to you to figure out, I think.
10210 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10211 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10212 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10216 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10217 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10220 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10221 or newer is recommended.
10225 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10226 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10229 @item mm-verify-option
10230 @vindex mm-verify-option
10231 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10232 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10233 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10235 @item mm-decrypt-option
10236 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10237 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10238 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10239 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10244 @section Mailing List
10246 @kindex A M (summary)
10247 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10248 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10249 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10250 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10251 summary buffer, or say:
10254 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10257 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10262 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10263 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10264 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10267 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10268 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10269 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10272 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10273 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10274 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10278 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10279 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10280 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10283 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10284 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10285 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10288 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10289 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10290 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10294 @node Article Buffer
10295 @chapter Article Buffer
10296 @cindex article buffer
10298 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10299 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10300 tell Gnus otherwise.
10303 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10304 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10305 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10306 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10307 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10311 @node Hiding Headers
10312 @section Hiding Headers
10313 @cindex hiding headers
10314 @cindex deleting headers
10316 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10317 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10319 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10320 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10321 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10322 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10323 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10324 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10325 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10326 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10327 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10329 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10333 @item gnus-visible-headers
10334 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10335 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10336 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10337 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10339 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10340 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10343 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10346 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10349 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10350 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10351 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10352 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10353 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10354 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10356 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10357 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10360 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10363 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10366 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10367 variable will have no effect.
10371 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10372 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10373 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10374 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10375 the headers are to be displayed.
10377 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10378 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10381 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10384 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10385 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10387 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10388 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10389 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10390 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10391 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10392 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10393 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10396 These conditions are:
10399 Remove all empty headers.
10401 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10402 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10404 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10405 @code{From} header.
10407 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10410 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10411 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10413 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10416 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10418 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10421 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10424 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10425 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10428 This is also the default value for this variable.
10432 @section Using MIME
10435 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10436 while people stand around yawning.
10438 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10439 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10441 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10442 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10443 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10445 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10446 @findex gnus-display-mime
10447 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10448 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10449 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10450 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10452 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10456 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10457 @item RET (Article)
10458 @kindex RET (Article)
10459 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10460 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10461 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10462 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10463 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10464 object is displayed inline.
10466 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10467 @item M-RET (Article)
10468 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10470 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10471 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10473 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10475 @kindex t (Article)
10476 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10477 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10479 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10481 @kindex C (Article)
10482 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10483 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10485 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10487 @kindex o (Article)
10488 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10489 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10491 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10492 @item C-o (Article)
10493 @kindex C-o (Article)
10494 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10495 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10496 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10497 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10498 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10499 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10501 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10503 @kindex c (Article)
10504 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10505 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10507 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10509 @kindex p (Article)
10510 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10511 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10512 @file{.mailcap} file.
10514 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10516 @kindex i (Article)
10517 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10518 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10519 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10520 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10521 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10524 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10526 @kindex E (Article)
10527 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10528 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10529 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10531 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10533 @kindex e (Article)
10534 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10535 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10537 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10539 @kindex | (Article)
10540 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10542 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10544 @kindex . (Article)
10545 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10546 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10550 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10551 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10554 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10555 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10556 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10557 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10558 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10559 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10560 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10561 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10562 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10564 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10566 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10569 @node Customizing Articles
10570 @section Customizing Articles
10571 @cindex article customization
10573 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10574 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10575 called automatically when you select the articles.
10577 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10578 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10579 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10580 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10582 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10583 for sensible values.
10587 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10590 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10593 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10596 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10599 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10603 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10604 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10605 regexps in the list.
10608 A list where the first element is not a string:
10610 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10611 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10612 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10616 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10621 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10622 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10623 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10624 considered to contain just a single part.
10626 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10627 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10628 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10629 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10630 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10631 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10632 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10634 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10635 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10636 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10637 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10640 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10641 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10643 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10645 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10646 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10647 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10648 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10649 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10650 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10651 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10652 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10653 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10654 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10655 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10657 @xref{Article Washing}.
10659 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10660 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10661 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10662 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10663 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10664 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10665 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10667 @xref{Article Date}.
10669 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10670 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10671 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10675 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10677 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10679 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10680 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10681 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10685 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10689 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10690 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10691 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10692 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10693 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10694 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10695 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10696 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10698 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10700 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10701 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10702 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10704 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10706 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10707 @item gnus-treat-translate
10708 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10710 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10711 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10712 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10713 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10715 @xref{Article Header}.
10720 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10721 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10722 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10723 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10724 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10728 @node Article Keymap
10729 @section Article Keymap
10731 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10732 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10733 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10734 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10737 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10742 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10743 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10744 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10747 @kindex DEL (Article)
10748 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10749 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10752 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10753 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10754 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10755 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10756 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10759 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10760 @findex gnus-article-mail
10761 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10762 given a prefix, include the mail.
10765 @kindex s (Article)
10766 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10767 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10768 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10771 @kindex ? (Article)
10772 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10773 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10774 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10777 @kindex TAB (Article)
10778 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10779 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10780 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10783 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10784 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10785 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10788 @kindex R (Article)
10789 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10790 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10791 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10792 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10796 @kindex F (Article)
10797 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10798 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10799 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10800 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10808 @section Misc Article
10812 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10813 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10814 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10815 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10818 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10819 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10821 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10822 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10824 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10825 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10826 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10827 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10828 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10829 the contents of the article buffer.
10831 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10832 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10833 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10835 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10836 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10837 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10838 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10840 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10841 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10842 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10843 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10844 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10850 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10851 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10852 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10857 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10860 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10863 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10864 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10865 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10868 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10871 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10874 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10879 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10883 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10885 @item gnus-break-pages
10886 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10887 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10888 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10889 paging will not be done.
10891 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10892 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10893 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10898 @node Composing Messages
10899 @chapter Composing Messages
10900 @cindex composing messages
10903 @cindex sending mail
10908 @cindex using s/mime
10909 @cindex using smime
10911 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10912 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10913 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10914 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10915 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10916 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10919 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10920 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10921 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10922 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10923 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10924 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10925 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10926 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10929 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10930 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10936 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10939 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10940 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10941 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10942 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10943 @code{nil} include all headers.
10945 @item gnus-add-to-list
10946 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10947 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10948 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10950 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10951 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10952 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10953 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10954 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10959 @node Posting Server
10960 @section Posting Server
10962 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10963 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10965 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10967 It can be quite complicated.
10969 @vindex gnus-post-method
10970 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10971 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10972 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10973 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10974 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10975 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10976 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10977 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10978 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10981 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10984 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10985 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10986 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10987 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10989 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10990 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10992 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10993 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10996 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10997 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10999 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11000 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11001 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11002 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11003 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
11004 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11005 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11006 package correctly. An example:
11009 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11010 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11013 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
11014 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
11015 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11017 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11018 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11019 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11021 @node Mail and Post
11022 @section Mail and Post
11024 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11028 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11029 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11030 @cindex mailing lists
11032 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11033 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11034 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11035 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11036 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11037 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11038 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11039 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11040 still a pain, though.
11044 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11045 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11046 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11049 @findex ispell-message
11051 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11054 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11055 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11058 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11062 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11063 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11065 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11068 Modify to suit your needs.
11071 @node Archived Messages
11072 @section Archived Messages
11073 @cindex archived messages
11074 @cindex sent messages
11076 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11077 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11078 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11079 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11082 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11083 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11086 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11087 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11088 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11091 (nnfolder "archive"
11092 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11093 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11094 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11095 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11098 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11099 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11100 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11101 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11104 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11105 '(nnfolder "archive"
11106 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11107 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11108 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11111 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11113 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11114 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11115 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11117 This variable can be used to do the following:
11122 Messages will be saved in that group.
11124 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11125 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11126 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11127 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11128 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11129 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11130 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11131 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11135 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11137 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11138 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11141 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11146 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11148 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11151 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11153 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11156 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11158 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11159 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11160 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11161 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11164 More complex stuff:
11166 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11167 '((if (message-news-p)
11172 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11173 messages in one file per month:
11176 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11177 '((if (message-news-p)
11179 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11182 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11183 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11185 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11186 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11187 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11188 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11189 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11190 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11191 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11192 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11193 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11194 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11196 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11197 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11198 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11199 this will disable archiving.
11202 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11203 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11204 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11205 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11206 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11209 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11210 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11211 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11214 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11215 but the latter is the preferred method.
11217 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11218 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11219 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11221 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11222 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11223 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11224 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11225 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11226 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11227 changed in the future.
11232 @node Posting Styles
11233 @section Posting Styles
11234 @cindex posting styles
11237 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11239 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11240 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11241 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11244 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11245 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11246 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11247 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11248 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11253 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11254 (organization "What me?"))
11256 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11257 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11258 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11261 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11262 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11263 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11264 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11265 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11266 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11267 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11268 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11270 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11271 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11272 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11273 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11274 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11275 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11276 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11277 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11278 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11279 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11280 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11283 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11284 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11285 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11286 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11287 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11288 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11289 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11290 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11291 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11292 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11295 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11296 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11297 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11298 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11299 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11300 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11301 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11302 references chars lines xref extra.
11304 @vindex message-reply-headers
11306 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11307 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11308 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11310 @findex message-mail-p
11311 @findex message-news-p
11313 So here's a new example:
11316 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11318 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11320 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11321 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11323 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11324 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11325 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11326 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11327 (signature my-news-signature))
11328 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11329 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11330 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11331 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11332 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11333 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11334 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11335 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11336 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11337 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11339 (From (save-excursion
11340 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11341 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11343 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11346 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11347 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11348 if you fill many roles.
11355 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11356 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11357 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11358 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11359 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11361 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11362 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11363 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11364 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11365 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11369 @vindex nndraft-directory
11370 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11371 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11372 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11373 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11374 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11375 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11377 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11378 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11381 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11382 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11383 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11384 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11385 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11386 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11387 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11388 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11389 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11390 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11391 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11392 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11393 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11394 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11396 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11397 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11398 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11400 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11401 @kindex D e (Draft)
11402 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11403 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11404 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11406 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11409 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11410 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11411 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11412 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11413 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11414 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11415 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11418 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11419 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11420 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11423 @node Rejected Articles
11424 @section Rejected Articles
11425 @cindex rejected articles
11427 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11428 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11429 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11430 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11432 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11433 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11434 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11435 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11436 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11438 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11439 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11440 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11442 @node Signing and encrypting
11443 @section Signing and encrypting
11445 @cindex using s/mime
11446 @cindex using smime
11448 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11449 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11450 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11451 (@pxref{Security}).
11453 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11454 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11455 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11457 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11458 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11459 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11460 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11461 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11462 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11463 automatically encrypted messages.
11465 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11466 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11467 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11472 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11473 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11475 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11478 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11479 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11481 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11484 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11485 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11487 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11490 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11491 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11493 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11496 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11497 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11499 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11502 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11503 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11505 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11508 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11509 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11510 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11514 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11516 @node Select Methods
11517 @chapter Select Methods
11518 @cindex foreign groups
11519 @cindex select methods
11521 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11522 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11523 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11524 personal mail group.
11526 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11527 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11528 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11529 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11530 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11531 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11533 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11534 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11536 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11539 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11540 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11541 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11542 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11543 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11545 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11548 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11549 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11550 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11551 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11552 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11553 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11554 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11555 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11559 @node Server Buffer
11560 @section Server Buffer
11562 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11563 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11564 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11565 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11566 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11567 back end represents a virtual server.
11569 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11570 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11571 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11572 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11574 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11575 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11576 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11577 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11578 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11579 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11580 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11582 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11583 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11586 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11587 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11588 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11589 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11590 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11591 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11592 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11595 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11596 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11599 @node Server Buffer Format
11600 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11601 @cindex server buffer format
11603 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11604 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11605 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11606 variable, with some simple extensions:
11611 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11614 The name of this server.
11617 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11620 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11623 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11624 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11625 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11626 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11636 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11639 @node Server Commands
11640 @subsection Server Commands
11641 @cindex server commands
11647 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11648 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11652 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11653 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11656 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11657 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11658 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11662 @findex gnus-server-exit
11663 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11667 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11668 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11672 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11673 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11677 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11678 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11682 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11683 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11687 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11688 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11689 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11694 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11695 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11696 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11697 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11702 @node Example Methods
11703 @subsection Example Methods
11705 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11708 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11711 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11717 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11718 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11721 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11722 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11724 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11725 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11729 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11732 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11733 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11735 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11736 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11737 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11741 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11744 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11747 Here's the method for a public spool:
11751 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11752 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11758 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11759 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11760 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11761 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11762 should probably look something like this:
11766 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11767 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11768 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11769 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11772 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11773 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11774 configuration to the example above:
11777 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11780 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11782 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11783 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11784 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11788 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11789 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11790 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11791 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11794 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11795 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11796 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11797 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11800 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11801 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11803 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11804 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11806 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11807 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11808 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11810 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11812 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11813 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11814 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11815 will contain the following:
11825 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11826 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11827 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11830 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11831 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11832 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11835 @node Server Variables
11836 @subsection Server Variables
11838 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11839 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11840 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11841 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11842 won't change the "derived" variables.
11844 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11845 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11846 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11847 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11848 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11849 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11850 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11851 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11852 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11856 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11857 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11858 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11862 @node Servers and Methods
11863 @subsection Servers and Methods
11865 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11866 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11867 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11868 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11872 @node Unavailable Servers
11873 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11875 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11876 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11877 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11878 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11879 actually the case or not.
11881 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11882 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11883 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11884 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11885 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11886 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11887 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11888 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11890 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11891 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11893 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11894 with the following commands:
11900 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11901 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11902 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11906 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11907 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11908 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11912 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11913 Mark the current server as unreachable
11914 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11917 @kindex M-o (Server)
11918 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11919 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11920 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11923 @kindex M-c (Server)
11924 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11925 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11926 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11930 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11931 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11932 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11936 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11937 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11943 @section Getting News
11944 @cindex reading news
11945 @cindex news back ends
11947 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11948 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11949 or it can read from a local spool.
11952 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11953 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11961 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11962 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11963 server as the, uhm, address.
11965 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11966 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11967 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11968 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11970 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11971 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11972 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11974 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11979 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11980 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11981 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11983 @cindex authentification
11984 @cindex nntp authentification
11985 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11986 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11987 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11988 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11989 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11990 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11991 present in this hook.
11993 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11994 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11995 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11996 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11997 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11998 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11999 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12000 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12001 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12002 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12003 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12004 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12008 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12011 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12013 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12014 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12015 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12016 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12017 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12018 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12019 @samp{force} is explained below.
12023 Here's an example file:
12026 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12027 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12030 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12031 have to be first, for instance.
12033 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12034 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12035 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12036 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12037 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12038 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12039 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12041 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12042 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12048 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12049 previously mentioned.
12051 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12053 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12054 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12055 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12056 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12057 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12060 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12061 '(("innd" (ding))))
12064 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12066 The default value is
12069 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12070 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12071 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12074 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12075 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12077 @item nntp-maximum-request
12078 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12079 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12080 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12081 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12082 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12083 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12084 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12086 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12087 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12088 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12089 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12090 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12091 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12092 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12093 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12094 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12095 no timeouts are done.
12097 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12098 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12099 @c @cindex PPP connections
12100 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12101 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12102 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12103 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12104 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12105 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12106 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12107 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12108 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12109 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12111 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12112 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12113 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12114 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12115 @c described above.
12117 @item nntp-server-hook
12118 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12119 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12122 @item nntp-buggy-select
12123 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12124 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12126 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12127 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12128 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12129 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12132 @item nntp-xover-commands
12133 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12136 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12137 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12141 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12142 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12143 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12144 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12145 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12146 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12147 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12148 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12149 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12150 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12151 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12153 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12154 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12155 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12157 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12158 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12159 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12160 server closes connection.
12162 @item nntp-record-commands
12163 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12164 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12165 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12166 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12167 that doesn't seem to work.
12169 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12170 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12171 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12172 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12173 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12174 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12175 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12176 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12178 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12179 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12180 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12181 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12182 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12183 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12184 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12187 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12190 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12191 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12195 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12196 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12197 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12201 @node Direct Functions
12202 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12203 @cindex direct connection functions
12205 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12206 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12207 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12208 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12211 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12212 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12213 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12216 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12217 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12218 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12219 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12220 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12221 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12222 define a server as follows:
12225 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12227 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12228 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12230 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12231 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12232 (nntp-port-number 563)
12233 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12236 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12237 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12238 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12239 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12240 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12241 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12242 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12243 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12247 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12248 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12249 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12252 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12253 session, which is not a good idea.
12257 @node Indirect Functions
12258 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12259 @cindex indirect connection functions
12261 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12262 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12263 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12264 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12265 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12266 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12269 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12270 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12271 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12272 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12273 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12275 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12278 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12279 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12280 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12281 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12283 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12284 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12285 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12286 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12287 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12288 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12289 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12290 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12293 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12294 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12295 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12296 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12298 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12301 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12302 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12303 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12306 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12307 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12308 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12309 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12311 @item nntp-via-user-password
12312 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12313 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12315 @item nntp-via-envuser
12316 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12317 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12318 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12319 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12321 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12322 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12323 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12324 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12331 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12336 @item nntp-via-user-name
12337 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12338 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12340 @item nntp-via-address
12341 @vindex nntp-via-address
12342 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12347 @node Common Variables
12348 @subsubsection Common Variables
12350 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12351 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12356 @item nntp-pre-command
12357 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12358 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12359 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12360 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12361 wrapper for instance.
12364 @vindex nntp-address
12365 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12367 @item nntp-port-number
12368 @vindex nntp-port-number
12369 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12370 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12371 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12372 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12374 @item nntp-end-of-line
12375 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12376 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12377 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12378 using a non native connection function.
12380 @item nntp-telnet-command
12381 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12382 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12383 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12384 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12386 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12387 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12388 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12395 @subsection News Spool
12399 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12400 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12401 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12404 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12405 anything else) as the address.
12407 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12408 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12409 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12410 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12414 @item nnspool-inews-program
12415 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12416 Program used to post an article.
12418 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12419 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12420 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12422 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12423 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12424 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12425 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12427 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12428 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12429 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12430 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12432 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12433 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12434 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12436 @item nnspool-active-file
12437 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12438 The path to the active file.
12440 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12441 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12442 The path to the group descriptions file.
12444 @item nnspool-history-file
12445 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12446 The path to the news history file.
12448 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12449 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12450 The path to the active date file.
12452 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12453 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12454 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12457 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12458 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12460 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12461 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12462 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12468 @section Getting Mail
12469 @cindex reading mail
12472 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12476 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12477 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12478 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12479 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12480 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12481 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12482 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12483 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12484 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12485 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12486 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12487 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12488 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12492 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12493 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12495 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12496 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12497 of a culture shock.
12499 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12500 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12502 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12503 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12504 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12505 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12507 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12509 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12510 deleted? How awful!
12512 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12513 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12514 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12515 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12518 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12519 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12520 they want to treat a message.
12522 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12523 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12524 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12525 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12526 archived somewhere else.
12528 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12529 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12530 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12531 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12532 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12534 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12535 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12536 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12538 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12539 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12542 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12543 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12544 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12545 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12546 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12548 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12549 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12550 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12551 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12552 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12553 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12557 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12558 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12560 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12561 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12562 and things will happen automatically.
12564 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12565 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12568 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12571 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12572 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12573 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12574 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12575 like any other group.
12577 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12580 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12581 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12582 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12586 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12587 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12588 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12591 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12592 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12593 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12596 @node Splitting Mail
12597 @subsection Splitting Mail
12598 @cindex splitting mail
12599 @cindex mail splitting
12601 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12602 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12603 to be split into groups.
12606 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12607 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12608 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12609 ("mail.other" "")))
12612 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12613 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12614 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12615 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12616 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12617 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12618 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12621 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12624 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12625 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12626 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12627 mail belongs in that group.
12629 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12630 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12631 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12632 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12633 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12634 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12636 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12637 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12638 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12639 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12640 thinks should carry this mail message.
12642 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12643 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12644 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12645 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12647 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12648 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12649 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12650 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12651 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12653 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12656 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12657 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12658 links. If that's the case for you, set
12659 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12660 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12662 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12663 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12664 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12665 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12666 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12667 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12670 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12671 Header lines longer than the value of
12672 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12675 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12676 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12677 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12678 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12679 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12680 can be turned off completely by binding
12681 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12682 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12684 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12685 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12686 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12687 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12688 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12689 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12690 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12693 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12694 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12695 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12696 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12697 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12698 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12699 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12700 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12701 month's rent money.
12705 @subsection Mail Sources
12707 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12708 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12712 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12713 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12714 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12718 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12719 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12721 @cindex mail server
12724 @cindex mail source
12726 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12727 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12732 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12735 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12736 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12737 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12740 The following mail source types are available:
12744 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12750 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12751 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12752 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12755 An example file mail source:
12758 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12761 Or using the default path:
12767 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12768 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12769 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12772 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12776 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12779 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12783 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12786 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12788 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12791 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12795 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12796 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12797 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12798 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12799 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12800 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12801 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12802 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12803 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12804 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12806 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12807 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12808 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12809 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12815 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12819 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12823 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12824 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12825 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12826 predicate are considered.
12830 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12834 An example directory mail source:
12837 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12842 Get mail from a POP server.
12848 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12849 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12852 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12853 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12854 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12855 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12856 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12859 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12863 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12867 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12868 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12871 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12874 The valid format specifier characters are:
12878 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12879 included in this string.
12882 The name of the server.
12885 The port number of the server.
12888 The user name to use.
12891 The password to use.
12894 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12895 corresponding keywords.
12898 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12899 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12902 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12903 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12906 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12907 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12910 @item :authentication
12911 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12912 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12917 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12918 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12920 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12921 default user name, and default fetcher:
12927 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12930 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12931 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12934 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12937 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12941 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12942 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12943 contains exactly one mail.
12949 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12950 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12953 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12954 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12956 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12957 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12958 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12961 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12962 from locking problems).
12966 Two example maildir mail sources:
12969 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12970 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12974 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12979 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12980 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12981 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12982 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12985 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12986 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12992 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12993 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12996 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12997 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
13000 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13004 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13008 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13009 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13010 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
13011 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13013 @item :authentication
13014 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13015 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13016 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13017 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13020 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13021 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
13022 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13028 The valid format specifier characters are:
13032 The name of the server.
13035 User name from `imap-default-user'.
13038 The port number of the server.
13041 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13042 corresponding keywords.
13045 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13046 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13049 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13050 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13051 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13052 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13053 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13054 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13057 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13058 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13059 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13060 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13063 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13064 after finishing the fetch.
13068 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13071 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13073 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13077 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13078 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13079 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13081 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13082 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13084 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13090 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13091 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13094 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13098 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13102 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13103 folder after finishing the fetch.
13107 An example webmail source:
13110 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13112 :password "secret")
13117 @item Common Keywords
13118 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13124 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13125 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13129 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13134 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13135 useful when you use local mail and news.
13140 @subsubsection Function Interface
13142 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13143 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13144 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13145 consider the following mail-source setting:
13148 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13149 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13152 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13153 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13154 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13155 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13156 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13158 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13161 @node Mail Source Customization
13162 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13164 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13165 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13169 @item mail-source-crash-box
13170 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13171 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13172 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13174 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13175 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13176 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13178 @item mail-source-directory
13179 @vindex mail-source-directory
13180 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13181 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13182 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13185 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13186 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13187 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13188 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13189 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13190 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13192 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13193 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13194 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13196 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13197 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13198 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13199 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13204 @node Fetching Mail
13205 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13207 @vindex mail-sources
13208 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13209 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13210 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13211 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13213 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13214 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13217 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13218 mail server, you'd say something like:
13223 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13224 :password "secret")))
13227 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13231 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13232 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13235 :password "secret")))
13239 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13240 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13241 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13242 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13243 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13244 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13248 @node Mail Back End Variables
13249 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13251 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13255 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13256 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13257 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13258 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13260 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13261 @item nnmail-split-hook
13262 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13263 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13264 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13265 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13266 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13267 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13268 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13269 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13270 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13273 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13274 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13275 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13276 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13277 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13278 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13279 starting to handle the new mail) and
13280 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13281 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13282 default file modes the new mail files get:
13285 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13286 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13288 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13289 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13292 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13293 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13294 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13295 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13296 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13297 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13298 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13300 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13301 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13302 @findex delete-file
13303 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13305 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13306 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13307 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13308 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13309 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13311 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13312 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13313 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13314 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13315 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13317 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13318 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13319 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13324 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13325 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13326 @cindex mail splitting
13327 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13329 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13330 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13331 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13332 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13333 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13334 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13336 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13339 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13340 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13341 ;; from real errors.
13342 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13344 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13345 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13346 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13347 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13348 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13349 ;; Other mailing lists...
13350 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13351 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13352 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13353 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13354 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13355 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13356 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13357 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13359 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13360 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13364 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13365 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13366 the five possible split syntaxes:
13371 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13372 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13376 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13377 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13378 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13379 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13380 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13381 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13382 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13383 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13386 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13387 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13388 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13389 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13392 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13393 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13396 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13397 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13400 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13401 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13402 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13403 function should return a @var{split}.
13406 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13407 body of the messages:
13410 (defun split-on-body ()
13412 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13413 (goto-char (point-min))
13414 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13418 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13419 when the @code{:} function is run.
13422 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13423 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13424 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13428 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13432 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13433 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13434 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13435 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13436 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13438 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13439 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13440 are expanded as specified by the variable
13441 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13442 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13445 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13446 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13447 when all this splitting is performed.
13449 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13450 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13451 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13454 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13457 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13458 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13460 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13461 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13462 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13463 groupings 1 through 9.
13465 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13466 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13467 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13468 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13469 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13470 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13471 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13472 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13473 it once per thread.
13475 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13476 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13477 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13480 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13481 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13483 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13484 ;; other splits go here
13488 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13489 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13490 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13491 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13492 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13493 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13494 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13495 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13496 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13497 unless the group name matches the regexp
13498 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13499 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13500 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13501 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13502 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13503 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13504 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13505 messages goes into the new group.
13507 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13508 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13509 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13510 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13511 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13515 @node Group Mail Splitting
13516 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13517 @cindex mail splitting
13518 @cindex group mail splitting
13520 @findex gnus-group-split
13521 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13522 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13523 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13524 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13525 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13526 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13527 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13528 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13530 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13531 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13532 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13533 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13535 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13536 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13537 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13538 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13539 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13540 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13541 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13543 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13544 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13545 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13546 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13547 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13548 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13549 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13551 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13552 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13553 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13554 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13555 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13556 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13557 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13558 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13559 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13560 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13561 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13562 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13563 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13565 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13570 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13571 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13573 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13574 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13575 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13576 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13578 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13581 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13582 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13583 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13586 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13587 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13588 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13592 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13593 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13594 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13598 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13601 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13602 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13603 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13604 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13605 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13606 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13607 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13608 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13609 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13611 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13612 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13613 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13614 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13615 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13616 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13617 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13618 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13619 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13621 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13622 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13623 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13624 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13625 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13626 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13629 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13632 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13633 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13634 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13635 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13636 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13639 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13640 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13641 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13642 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13644 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13645 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13646 @cindex incorporating old mail
13647 @cindex import old mail
13649 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13650 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13651 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13654 Doing so can be quite easy.
13656 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13657 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13658 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13659 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13660 your @code{nnml} groups.
13666 Go to the group buffer.
13669 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13670 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13673 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13676 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13677 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13680 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13681 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13684 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13685 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13686 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13687 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13688 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13690 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13691 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13692 using the new mail back end.
13695 @node Expiring Mail
13696 @subsection Expiring Mail
13697 @cindex article expiry
13699 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13700 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13701 different approach to mail reading.
13703 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13704 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13705 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13706 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13707 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13708 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13711 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13712 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13713 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13714 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13715 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13716 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13717 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13718 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13719 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13721 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13722 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13723 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13724 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13725 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13726 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13727 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13730 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13731 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13732 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13733 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13734 into its own group.)
13736 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13737 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13738 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13739 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13740 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13741 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13742 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13743 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13746 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13747 Groups that match the regular expression
13748 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13749 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13750 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13752 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13753 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13754 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13755 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13758 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13760 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13761 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13762 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13765 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13766 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13767 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13768 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13769 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13771 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13772 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13775 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13776 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13779 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13780 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13782 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13783 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13784 don't really mix very well.
13786 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13787 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13788 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13789 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13792 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13793 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13794 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13795 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13798 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13800 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13802 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13804 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13806 ((string= group "important")
13812 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13813 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13815 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13816 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13817 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13820 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13821 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13823 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13824 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13825 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13826 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13827 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13828 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13829 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13830 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13831 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13832 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13833 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13834 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13835 name or @code{delete}.
13837 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13839 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13842 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13843 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13844 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13845 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13846 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13849 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13850 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13851 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13852 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13853 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13856 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13857 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13858 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13859 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13860 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13861 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13863 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13864 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13865 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13866 easier for procmail users.
13868 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13869 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13870 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13871 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13872 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13873 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13874 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13875 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13876 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13877 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13878 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13879 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13880 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13883 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13885 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13886 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13887 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13888 auto-expire turned on.
13892 @subsection Washing Mail
13893 @cindex mail washing
13894 @cindex list server brain damage
13895 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13897 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13898 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13899 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13900 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13901 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13902 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13904 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13905 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13906 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13909 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13910 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13911 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13912 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13915 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13916 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13917 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13918 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13919 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13922 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13923 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13924 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13925 Emacs running on MS machines.
13929 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13930 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13931 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13932 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13935 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13936 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13937 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13938 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13940 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13941 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13942 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13943 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13944 into a feature by documenting it.)
13946 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13947 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13948 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13949 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13950 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13951 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13952 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13955 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13956 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13959 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13960 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13963 This can also be done non-destructively with
13964 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13966 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13967 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13968 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13970 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13971 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13973 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13974 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13975 @code{References} headers.
13979 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13980 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13981 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13985 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13986 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13987 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13994 @subsection Duplicates
13996 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13997 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13998 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13999 @cindex duplicate mails
14000 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14001 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14002 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14003 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14004 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14005 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14006 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14007 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14008 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14009 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14010 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14011 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14012 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14014 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14015 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14016 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14017 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14019 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14022 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14023 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14027 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14028 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14029 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14030 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14031 (any mail "mail.misc")
14038 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14039 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14044 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14045 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14046 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14047 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14048 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14051 @node Not Reading Mail
14052 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14054 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14055 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14056 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14058 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14059 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14060 mail, which should help.
14062 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14063 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14064 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14065 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14066 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14067 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14068 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14069 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14070 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14071 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14072 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14074 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14075 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14079 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14080 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14082 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14083 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14084 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14086 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14087 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14088 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14089 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14090 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14091 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14092 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14095 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14096 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14097 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14098 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14099 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14100 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14104 @node Unix Mail Box
14105 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14107 @cindex unix mail box
14109 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14110 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14111 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14112 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14113 which group it belongs in.
14115 Virtual server settings:
14118 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14119 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14120 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14123 @item nnmbox-active-file
14124 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14125 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14126 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14128 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14129 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14130 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14131 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14136 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14140 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14141 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14142 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14143 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14144 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14146 Virtual server settings:
14149 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14150 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14151 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14153 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14154 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14155 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14156 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14158 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14159 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14160 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14166 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14168 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14170 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14171 format. It should be used with some caution.
14173 @vindex nnml-directory
14174 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14175 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14176 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14177 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14179 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14182 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14183 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14184 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14185 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14186 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14187 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14188 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14189 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14191 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14192 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14193 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14194 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14196 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14198 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14199 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14200 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14201 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14202 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14203 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14204 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14205 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14208 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14209 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14210 them next time it starts.
14212 Virtual server settings:
14215 @item nnml-directory
14216 @vindex nnml-directory
14217 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14218 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14221 @item nnml-active-file
14222 @vindex nnml-active-file
14223 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14224 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14226 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14227 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14228 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14229 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14231 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14232 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14233 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14236 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14237 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14238 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14239 default is @code{nil}.
14241 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14242 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14243 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14245 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14246 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14247 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14249 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14250 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14251 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14252 default is @code{nil}.
14254 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14255 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14256 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14258 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14259 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14260 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14265 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14266 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14267 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14268 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14269 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14270 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14271 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14276 @subsubsection MH Spool
14278 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14280 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14281 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14282 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14283 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14285 Virtual server settings:
14288 @item nnmh-directory
14289 @vindex nnmh-directory
14290 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14291 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14294 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14295 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14296 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14300 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14301 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14302 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14303 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14304 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14305 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14306 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14311 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14313 @cindex mbox folders
14314 @cindex mail folders
14316 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14317 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14318 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14321 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14323 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14324 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14325 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14326 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14327 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14328 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14329 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14330 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14331 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14332 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14334 Virtual server settings:
14337 @item nnfolder-directory
14338 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14339 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14340 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14343 @item nnfolder-active-file
14344 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14345 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14347 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14348 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14349 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14350 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14352 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14353 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14354 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14357 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14358 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14359 @cindex backup files
14360 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14361 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14362 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14363 your @file{.emacs} file:
14366 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14367 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14369 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14372 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14373 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14374 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14375 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14376 extract some information from it before removing it.
14378 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14379 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14380 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14381 default is @code{nil}.
14383 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14384 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14385 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14387 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14388 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14389 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14390 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14392 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14393 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14394 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14395 default is @code{nil}.
14397 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14398 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14399 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14401 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14402 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14403 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14404 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14409 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14410 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14411 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14412 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14413 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14414 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14417 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14418 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14420 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14421 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14422 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14423 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14424 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14426 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14427 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14428 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14429 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14430 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14431 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14432 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14433 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14436 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14437 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14438 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14439 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14444 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14445 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14446 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14447 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14448 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14449 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14450 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14451 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14452 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14453 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14454 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14455 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14456 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14461 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14462 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14463 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14464 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14465 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14466 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14467 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14468 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14469 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14470 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14471 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14472 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14473 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14474 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14476 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14477 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14482 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14483 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14484 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14485 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14486 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14487 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14488 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14489 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14490 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14491 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14492 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14493 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14494 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14495 provided by the active file and overviews.
14497 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14498 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14499 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14500 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14501 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14504 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14505 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14510 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14511 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14512 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14513 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14514 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14515 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14516 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14520 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14521 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14522 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14523 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14524 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14525 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14526 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14527 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14528 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14530 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14531 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14532 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14533 friendly mail back end all over.
14537 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14538 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14539 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14540 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14541 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14542 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14543 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14544 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14547 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14548 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14549 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14550 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14551 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14552 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14553 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14554 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14555 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14556 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14557 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14559 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14560 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14561 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14562 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14563 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14564 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14565 This will probably be changed in the future.
14567 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14568 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14569 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14570 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14571 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14574 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14575 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14577 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14578 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14579 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14580 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14581 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14582 would) to make it use less memory.
14584 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14585 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14586 depending in part on your file system.
14588 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14589 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14594 @node Browsing the Web
14595 @section Browsing the Web
14597 @cindex browsing the web
14601 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14602 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14603 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14604 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14605 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14606 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14607 even know what a news group is.
14609 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14610 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14611 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14612 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14613 you mad in the end.
14615 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14618 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14619 interfaces to these sources.
14623 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14624 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14625 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14626 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14627 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14628 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14631 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14633 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14634 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14635 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14636 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14637 though, you should be ok.
14639 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14640 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14641 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14642 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14643 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14645 @node Archiving Mail
14646 @subsection Archiving Mail
14647 @cindex archiving mail
14648 @cindex backup of mail
14650 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14651 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14652 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14653 marks is fairly simple.
14655 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14656 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14659 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14660 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14661 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14662 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14663 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14664 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14665 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14666 before you restore the data.
14668 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14669 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14670 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14671 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14672 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14673 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14674 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14675 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14676 is unnecessary in that case.
14679 @subsection Web Searches
14684 @cindex Usenet searches
14685 @cindex searching the Usenet
14687 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14688 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14689 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14690 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14691 searches without having to use a browser.
14693 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14694 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14695 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14696 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14697 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14699 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14700 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14701 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14702 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14703 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14704 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14705 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14706 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14707 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14708 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14711 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14712 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14713 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14714 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14715 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14716 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14718 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14719 to use @code{nnweb}.
14721 Virtual server variables:
14726 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14727 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14728 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14731 @vindex nnweb-search
14732 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14734 @item nnweb-max-hits
14735 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14736 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14739 @item nnweb-type-definition
14740 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14741 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14742 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14747 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14751 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14754 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14757 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14761 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14768 @subsection Slashdot
14772 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14773 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14774 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14776 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14777 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14780 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14781 '((nnslashdot "")))
14784 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14785 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14786 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14787 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14788 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14791 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14792 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14794 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14795 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14796 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14797 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14798 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14799 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14802 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14805 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14806 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14807 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14808 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14809 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14810 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14811 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
14813 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14814 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14815 The login name to use when posting.
14817 @item nnslashdot-password
14818 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14819 The password to use when posting.
14821 @item nnslashdot-directory
14822 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14823 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14824 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14826 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14827 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14828 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14829 news articles and comments. The default is
14830 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14832 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14833 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14834 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14836 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14838 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14839 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14840 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14842 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14844 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14845 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14846 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14848 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14849 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14850 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14851 updated. The default is 0.
14858 @subsection Ultimate
14860 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14862 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14863 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14864 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14865 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14867 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14868 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14869 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14870 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14871 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14872 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14873 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14875 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14878 @item nnultimate-directory
14879 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14880 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14881 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14886 @subsection Web Archive
14888 @cindex Web Archive
14890 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14891 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14892 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14893 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14896 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14897 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14898 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14899 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14900 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14901 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14902 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14904 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14907 @item nnwarchive-directory
14908 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14909 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14910 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14912 @item nnwarchive-login
14913 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14914 The account name on the web server.
14916 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14917 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14918 The password for your account on the web server.
14926 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14927 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14928 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14931 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14932 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14935 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14938 @item nnrss-directory
14939 @vindex nnrss-directory
14940 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14941 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14945 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14946 the summary buffer.
14949 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14950 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14952 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14954 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14955 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14958 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14961 (require 'browse-url)
14963 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14965 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14968 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14969 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14972 (browse-url (cdr url))
14973 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
14974 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14976 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14977 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14978 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14979 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14982 @node Customizing w3
14983 @subsection Customizing w3
14989 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14990 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14991 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14993 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14994 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14995 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14998 (eval-after-load "w3"
15000 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15001 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15002 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15003 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15005 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15008 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15009 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15018 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
15019 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15020 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15021 specify the network address of the server.
15023 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15024 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15025 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15026 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15027 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15029 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15030 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15031 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15032 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15034 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15035 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15036 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15037 usage explained in this section.
15039 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15040 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15041 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15044 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15045 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15046 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15048 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15049 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15050 ; a UW server running on localhost
15052 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15053 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15054 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15055 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15056 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15057 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15058 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15059 (nnimap-stream network))
15060 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15062 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15063 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15064 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15067 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15072 @item nnimap-address
15073 @vindex nnimap-address
15075 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15076 server name if not specified.
15078 @item nnimap-server-port
15079 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15080 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15082 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15085 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15086 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15089 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15090 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15091 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15092 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15093 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15094 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15095 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15097 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15098 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15099 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15102 Example server specification:
15105 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15106 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15107 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15110 @item nnimap-stream
15111 @vindex nnimap-stream
15112 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15113 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15114 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15115 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15117 Example server specification:
15120 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15121 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15124 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15128 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15129 @samp{imtest} program.
15131 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15133 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15134 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15137 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15138 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15139 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15141 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15143 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15146 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15147 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15148 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15149 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15150 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15151 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15152 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15153 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15154 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15157 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15158 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15159 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15160 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15161 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15162 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15163 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15164 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15165 distribution, for instance).
15167 @vindex imap-shell-program
15168 @vindex imap-shell-host
15169 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15170 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15172 @item nnimap-authenticator
15173 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15175 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15176 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15178 Example server specification:
15181 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15182 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15185 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15189 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15190 external program @code{imtest}.
15192 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15195 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15196 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15198 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15200 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15202 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15205 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15207 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15208 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15209 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15210 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15211 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15212 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15215 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15216 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15217 running in circles yet?
15219 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15220 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15223 The possible options are:
15228 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15231 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15232 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15233 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15234 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15236 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15241 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15242 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15244 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15245 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15246 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15247 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15248 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15251 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15252 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15255 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15256 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15257 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15258 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15261 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15262 as ticked for other users.
15264 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15266 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15268 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15269 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15270 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15271 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15273 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15274 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15275 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15276 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15278 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15279 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15281 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15282 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15283 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15289 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15290 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15291 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15292 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15293 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15298 @node Splitting in IMAP
15299 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15300 @cindex splitting imap mail
15302 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15303 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15304 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15305 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15306 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15310 Here are the variables of interest:
15314 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15315 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15317 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15319 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15320 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15322 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15324 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15325 @cindex splitting, inbox
15327 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15329 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15330 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15334 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15335 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15338 No nnmail equivalent.
15340 @item nnimap-split-rule
15341 @cindex Splitting, rules
15342 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15344 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15347 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15348 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15349 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15350 Neither did I, we need examples.
15353 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15355 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15356 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15357 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15360 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15361 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15362 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15364 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15365 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15369 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15372 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15373 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15375 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15376 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15377 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15378 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15380 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15381 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15382 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15383 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15384 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15385 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15387 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15388 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15389 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15391 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15392 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15393 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15395 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15397 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15398 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15399 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15402 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15403 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15404 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15405 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15406 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15407 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15410 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15411 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15412 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15413 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15414 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15415 group/function elements.
15417 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15419 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15421 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15423 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15424 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15426 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15427 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15428 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15431 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15432 @cindex splitting, fancy
15433 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15434 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15436 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15437 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15438 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15440 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15441 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15442 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15443 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15448 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15449 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15452 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15456 @node Expiring in IMAP
15457 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15458 @cindex expiring imap mail
15460 Even though @sc{nnimap} is not a proper @sc{nnmail} derived back end,
15461 it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15462 Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do not clone
15463 the @sc{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating @var{nnimap-expiry-wait})
15464 but reuse the @sc{nnmail} variables. What follows below are the
15465 variables used by the @sc{nnimap} expiry process.
15467 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15468 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15469 @sc{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15470 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15471 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15472 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15473 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15474 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15478 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15479 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15481 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15482 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15484 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15486 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15487 @sc{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15488 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15489 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15493 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15494 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15495 @cindex editing imap acls
15496 @cindex Access Control Lists
15497 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15499 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15501 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15502 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15503 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15506 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15507 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15508 editing window with detailed instructions.
15510 Some possible uses:
15514 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15515 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15516 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15518 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15519 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15520 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15524 @node Expunging mailboxes
15525 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15529 @cindex Manual expunging
15531 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15533 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15534 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15535 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15537 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15540 @node A note on namespaces
15541 @subsection A note on namespaces
15542 @cindex IMAP namespace
15545 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15546 following text in the RFC:
15549 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15551 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15552 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15553 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15554 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15556 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15557 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15558 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15559 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15560 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15561 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15564 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15565 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15566 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15568 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15569 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15570 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15571 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15572 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15573 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15574 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15575 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15577 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15578 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15579 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15581 @node Other Sources
15582 @section Other Sources
15584 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15585 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15589 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15590 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15591 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15592 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15593 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15597 @node Directory Groups
15598 @subsection Directory Groups
15600 @cindex directory groups
15602 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15603 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15606 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15607 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15608 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15609 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15611 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15612 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15613 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15614 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15615 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15617 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15619 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15620 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15621 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15622 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15625 @node Anything Groups
15626 @subsection Anything Groups
15629 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15630 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15631 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15634 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15635 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15636 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15637 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15638 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15639 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15640 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15641 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15642 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15643 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15646 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15647 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15648 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15649 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15651 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15652 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15653 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15654 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15656 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15657 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15658 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15659 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15660 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15661 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15662 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15663 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15668 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15669 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15670 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15671 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15673 @item nneething-exclude-files
15674 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15675 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15676 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15678 @item nneething-include-files
15679 @vindex nneething-include-files
15680 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15681 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15683 @item nneething-map-file
15684 @vindex nneething-map-file
15685 Name of the map files.
15689 @node Document Groups
15690 @subsection Document Groups
15692 @cindex documentation group
15695 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15696 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15703 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15708 The standard Unix mbox file.
15710 @cindex MMDF mail box
15712 The MMDF mail box format.
15715 Several news articles appended into a file.
15718 @cindex rnews batch files
15719 The rnews batch transport format.
15720 @cindex forwarded messages
15723 Forwarded articles.
15726 Netscape mail boxes.
15729 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15731 @item standard-digest
15732 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15735 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15737 @item lanl-gov-announce
15738 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15740 @item rfc822-forward
15741 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15744 The Outlook mail box.
15747 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15750 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15753 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15756 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15762 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15765 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15771 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15772 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15773 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15776 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15777 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15778 group. And that's it.
15780 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15781 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15782 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15783 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15784 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15785 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15786 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15787 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15788 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15789 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15791 Virtual server variables:
15794 @item nndoc-article-type
15795 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15796 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15797 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15798 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15799 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15800 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15802 @item nndoc-post-type
15803 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15804 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15805 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15810 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15814 @node Document Server Internals
15815 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15817 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15818 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15819 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15820 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15822 First, here's an example document type definition:
15826 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15827 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15830 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15831 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15832 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15833 types can be defined with very few settings:
15836 @item first-article
15837 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15838 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15841 @item article-begin
15842 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15843 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15845 @item head-begin-function
15846 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15849 @item nndoc-head-begin
15850 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15853 @item nndoc-head-end
15854 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15855 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15857 @item body-begin-function
15858 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15862 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15865 @item body-end-function
15866 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15870 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15873 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15874 regexp will be totally ignored.
15878 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15879 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15880 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15881 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15882 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15885 @item prepare-body-function
15886 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15887 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15888 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15890 @item article-transform-function
15891 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15892 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15893 body of the article.
15895 @item generate-head-function
15896 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15897 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15898 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15899 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15903 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15908 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15909 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15910 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15911 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15912 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15913 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15914 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15915 (subtype digest guess))
15918 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15919 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15920 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15921 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15922 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15924 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15925 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15926 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15927 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15928 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
15929 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15930 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15931 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15932 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15933 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15941 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15942 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15943 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15945 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15946 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15947 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15950 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15951 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15952 that interested in doing things properly.
15954 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15955 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15958 First some terminology:
15963 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15964 get news and/or mail from.
15967 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15968 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15971 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15975 @item message packets
15976 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15977 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15978 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15980 @item response packets
15981 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15982 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15983 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15993 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15994 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15995 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15996 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15999 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16002 You put the packet in your home directory.
16005 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16006 the native or secondary server.
16009 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16010 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16013 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16017 You transfer this packet to the server.
16020 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16023 You then repeat until you die.
16027 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16028 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16031 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16032 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16033 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16037 @node SOUP Commands
16038 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16040 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16044 @kindex G s b (Group)
16045 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16046 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16047 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16048 process/prefix convention.
16051 @kindex G s w (Group)
16052 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16053 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16056 @kindex G s s (Group)
16057 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16058 Send all replies from the replies packet
16059 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16062 @kindex G s p (Group)
16063 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16064 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16067 @kindex G s r (Group)
16068 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16069 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16072 @kindex O s (Summary)
16073 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16074 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16075 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16076 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16081 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16086 @item gnus-soup-directory
16087 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16088 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16089 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16091 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16092 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16093 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16094 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16096 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16097 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16098 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16099 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16101 @item gnus-soup-packer
16102 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16103 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16104 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16106 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16107 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16108 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16109 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16111 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16112 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16113 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16115 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16116 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16117 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16118 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16124 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16127 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16128 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16129 you can read them at leisure.
16131 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16135 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16136 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16137 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16138 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16140 @item nnsoup-directory
16141 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16142 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16143 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16145 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16146 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16147 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16148 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16150 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16151 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16152 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16153 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16154 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16156 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16157 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16158 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16159 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16161 @item nnsoup-active-file
16162 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16163 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16164 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16165 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16166 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16168 @item nnsoup-packer
16169 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16170 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16171 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16173 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16174 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16175 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16176 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16178 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16179 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16180 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16183 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16184 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16185 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16188 @item nnsoup-always-save
16189 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16190 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16196 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16198 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16199 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16200 more for that to happen.
16202 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16203 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16204 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16207 In specific, this is what it does:
16210 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16211 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16214 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16215 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16216 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16219 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16220 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16221 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16224 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16225 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16226 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16228 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16234 @item nngateway-address
16235 @vindex nngateway-address
16236 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16238 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16239 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16240 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16241 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16242 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16243 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16244 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16247 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16248 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16249 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16252 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16255 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16258 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16261 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16263 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16266 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16267 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16268 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16270 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16272 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16273 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16274 @code{nngateway-address}.
16279 (setq gnus-post-method
16281 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16282 (nngateway-header-transformation
16283 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16291 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16294 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16299 @node Combined Groups
16300 @section Combined Groups
16302 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16306 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16307 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16311 @node Virtual Groups
16312 @subsection Virtual Groups
16314 @cindex virtual groups
16315 @cindex merging groups
16317 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16320 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16321 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16322 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16324 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16325 regexp to match component groups.
16327 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16328 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16329 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16330 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16331 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16332 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16333 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16334 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16336 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16337 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16340 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16343 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16344 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16346 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16347 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16348 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16349 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16352 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16355 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16356 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16357 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16359 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16360 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16361 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16362 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16363 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16365 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16366 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16367 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16369 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16370 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16371 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16372 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16373 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16374 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16375 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16376 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16377 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16378 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16379 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16381 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16382 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16383 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16384 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16385 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16386 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16387 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16389 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16390 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16392 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16393 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16397 @node Kibozed Groups
16398 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16402 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16403 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16404 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16405 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16407 @kindex G k (Group)
16408 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16411 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16412 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16413 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16414 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16416 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16417 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16418 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16420 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16421 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16422 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16423 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16424 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16425 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16426 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16427 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16429 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16430 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16431 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16432 Stranger things have happened.
16434 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16435 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16437 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16438 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16439 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16440 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16441 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16442 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16444 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16445 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16448 @node Gnus Unplugged
16449 @section Gnus Unplugged
16454 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16456 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16457 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16458 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16459 read news. Believe it or not.
16461 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16462 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16463 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16464 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16465 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16467 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16468 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16469 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16470 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16471 reading news on a machine.
16473 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16474 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16476 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16479 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16480 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16481 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16482 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16483 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16484 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16485 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16486 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16487 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16488 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16489 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16494 @subsection Agent Basics
16496 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16498 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16499 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16500 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16501 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16503 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16504 connected to the net continuously.
16506 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16507 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16509 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16514 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16515 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16516 already fetched while in this mode.
16519 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16520 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16521 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16522 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16523 Source Specifiers}).
16526 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16527 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16528 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16529 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16530 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16533 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16534 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16535 then you read the news offline.
16538 And then you go to step 2.
16541 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16547 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16548 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16549 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16550 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16551 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16552 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16553 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16554 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16557 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16564 @node Agent Categories
16565 @subsection Agent Categories
16567 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16568 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16569 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16570 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16571 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16572 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16573 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16575 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16576 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16577 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16578 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16579 managing categories.
16582 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16583 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16584 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16588 @node Category Syntax
16589 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16591 A category consists of two things.
16595 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16596 are eligible for downloading; and
16599 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16600 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16601 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16604 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16605 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16606 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16607 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16609 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16610 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16611 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16613 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16614 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16615 operators sprinkled in between.
16617 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16619 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16620 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16626 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16627 short (for some value of ``short'').
16629 Here's a more complex predicate:
16638 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16639 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16642 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16643 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16644 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16646 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16647 you want to do, you can write your own.
16651 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16652 lines; default 100.
16655 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16656 lines; default 200.
16659 True iff the article has a download score less than
16660 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16663 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16664 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16667 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16668 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16669 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16678 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16679 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16680 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16683 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16684 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16685 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16686 something along the lines of the following:
16689 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16690 "Say whether an article is old."
16691 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16692 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16695 with the predicate then defined as:
16698 (not my-article-old-p)
16701 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16702 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16706 (require 'gnus-agent)
16707 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16708 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16709 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16712 and simply specify your predicate as:
16718 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16719 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16720 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16721 just don't give a damn.
16723 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16724 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16725 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16726 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16727 parameters like so:
16730 (agent-predicate . short)
16733 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16734 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16735 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16737 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16740 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16743 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16744 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16745 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16748 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16749 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16750 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16751 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16752 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16753 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16755 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16756 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16757 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16758 if it's to be specific to that group.
16760 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16767 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16768 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16774 Category specification
16778 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16784 Group Parameter specification
16787 (agent-score ("from"
16788 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16793 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16799 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16806 Category specification
16809 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16815 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16819 Group Parameter specification
16822 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16825 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16830 Use @code{normal} score files
16832 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16833 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16834 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16835 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16837 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16838 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16839 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16840 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16844 Category Specification
16851 Group Parameter specification
16854 (agent-score . file)
16859 @node Category Buffer
16860 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16862 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16863 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16864 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16866 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16870 @kindex q (Category)
16871 @findex gnus-category-exit
16872 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16875 @kindex k (Category)
16876 @findex gnus-category-kill
16877 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16880 @kindex c (Category)
16881 @findex gnus-category-copy
16882 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16885 @kindex a (Category)
16886 @findex gnus-category-add
16887 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16890 @kindex p (Category)
16891 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16892 Edit the predicate of the current category
16893 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16896 @kindex g (Category)
16897 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16898 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16899 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16902 @kindex s (Category)
16903 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16904 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16905 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16908 @kindex l (Category)
16909 @findex gnus-category-list
16910 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16914 @node Category Variables
16915 @subsubsection Category Variables
16918 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16919 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16920 Hook run in category buffers.
16922 @item gnus-category-line-format
16923 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16924 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16925 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16929 The name of the category.
16932 The number of groups in the category.
16935 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16936 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16937 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16939 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16940 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16941 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16943 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16944 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16945 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16947 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16948 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16949 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16952 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16953 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16954 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16960 @node Agent Commands
16961 @subsection Agent Commands
16963 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16964 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16965 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16969 * Group Agent Commands::
16970 * Summary Agent Commands::
16971 * Server Agent Commands::
16974 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16975 following incantation:
16977 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16979 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16984 @node Group Agent Commands
16985 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16989 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16990 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16991 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16992 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16995 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16996 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16997 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17000 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17001 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17002 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17003 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17006 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17007 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17008 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17009 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17012 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17013 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17014 Add the current group to an Agent category
17015 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17016 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17019 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17020 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17021 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17022 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17023 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17026 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17027 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17028 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17034 @node Summary Agent Commands
17035 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17039 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17040 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17041 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17044 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17045 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17046 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17047 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17050 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17051 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17052 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
17055 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17056 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17057 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
17060 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17061 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17062 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17063 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17068 @node Server Agent Commands
17069 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17073 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17074 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17075 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17076 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17079 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17080 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17081 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17082 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17087 @node Agent as Cache
17088 @subsection Agent as Cache
17090 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17091 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17092 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17093 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17094 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17095 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17096 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17097 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17098 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17100 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17101 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17104 @subsection Agent Expiry
17106 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17107 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17108 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17109 @cindex Agent expiry
17110 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17113 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17114 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17115 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17116 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17117 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17118 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17120 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17121 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17122 expiry in different groups.
17125 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17131 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17132 method---it must always match all groups.
17134 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17135 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17136 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17137 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17138 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17140 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17141 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17142 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17143 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17145 @node Agent and IMAP
17146 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17148 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17149 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17150 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17151 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17153 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17154 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
17155 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17156 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17158 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17159 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17160 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17161 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17163 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17164 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17165 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17166 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17167 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17168 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17170 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17171 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17172 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17173 in the group buffer.
17175 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17176 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17181 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17184 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17188 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17189 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17190 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17191 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17192 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17193 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17194 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17195 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17198 @node Outgoing Messages
17199 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17201 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17202 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17203 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17205 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17206 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17207 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17208 messages in the draft group.
17212 @node Agent Variables
17213 @subsection Agent Variables
17216 @item gnus-agent-directory
17217 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17218 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17219 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17221 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17222 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17223 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17224 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17225 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17228 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17229 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17230 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17232 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17233 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17234 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17236 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17237 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17238 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17240 @item gnus-agent-cache
17241 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17242 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17243 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17244 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17246 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17247 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17248 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17249 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17250 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17251 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17252 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17255 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17256 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17257 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17258 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17259 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17260 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17261 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17262 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17263 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17268 @node Example Setup
17269 @subsection Example Setup
17271 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17272 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17273 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17276 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17277 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17278 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17280 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17281 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17282 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17284 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17285 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17287 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17288 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17289 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17292 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17293 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17296 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17297 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17298 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17299 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17300 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17303 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17304 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17305 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17306 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17307 back all the killed groups.)
17309 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17310 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17311 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17314 @node Batching Agents
17315 @subsection Batching Agents
17317 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17318 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17319 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17323 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
17327 @node Agent Caveats
17328 @subsection Agent Caveats
17330 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17331 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17335 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17339 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17341 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17345 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17346 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
17347 locally stored articles.
17354 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17355 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17356 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17359 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17360 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17361 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17362 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17363 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17365 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17366 before generating the summary buffer.
17368 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17369 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17370 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17372 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17373 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17374 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17375 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17378 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17379 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17380 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17381 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17382 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17383 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17384 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17385 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17386 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17387 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17388 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17389 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17390 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17391 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17392 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17393 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17394 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17398 @node Summary Score Commands
17399 @section Summary Score Commands
17400 @cindex score commands
17402 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17403 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17404 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17405 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17406 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17408 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17409 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17410 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17411 score file the current one.
17413 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17418 @kindex V s (Summary)
17419 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17420 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17423 @kindex V S (Summary)
17424 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17425 Display the score of the current article
17426 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17429 @kindex V t (Summary)
17430 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17431 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17432 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17435 @kindex V w (Summary)
17436 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17437 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17440 @kindex V R (Summary)
17441 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17442 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17443 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17444 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17445 effect you're having.
17448 @kindex V c (Summary)
17449 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17450 Make a different score file the current
17451 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17454 @kindex V e (Summary)
17455 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17456 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17457 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17461 @kindex V f (Summary)
17462 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17463 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17464 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17467 @kindex V F (Summary)
17468 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17469 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17470 after editing score files.
17473 @kindex V C (Summary)
17474 @findex gnus-score-customize
17475 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17476 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17480 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17485 @kindex V m (Summary)
17486 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17487 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17488 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17491 @kindex V x (Summary)
17492 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17493 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17494 expunge all articles below this score
17495 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17498 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17499 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17502 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17503 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17507 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17508 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17510 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17511 keys are available:
17515 Score on the author name.
17518 Score on the subject line.
17521 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17524 Score on the @code{References} line.
17530 Score on the number of lines.
17533 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17536 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17537 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17540 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17541 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17542 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17551 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17557 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17558 what headers you are scoring on.
17570 Substring matching.
17573 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17602 Greater than number.
17607 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17608 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17609 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17614 Temporary score entry.
17617 Permanent score entry.
17620 Immediately scoring.
17624 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17625 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17626 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17630 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17631 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17632 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17633 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17635 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17636 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17637 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17638 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17639 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17641 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17642 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17643 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17644 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17645 current score file.
17647 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17648 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17649 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17652 @node Group Score Commands
17653 @section Group Score Commands
17654 @cindex group score commands
17656 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17661 @kindex W f (Group)
17662 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17663 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17664 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17665 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17669 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17671 @findex gnus-batch-score
17672 @cindex batch scoring
17674 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17678 @node Score Variables
17679 @section Score Variables
17680 @cindex score variables
17684 @item gnus-use-scoring
17685 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17686 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17687 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17689 @item gnus-kill-killed
17690 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17691 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17692 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17693 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17694 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17695 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17696 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17698 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17699 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17700 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17701 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17702 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17704 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17705 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17706 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17707 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17709 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17710 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17711 @cindex score cache
17712 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17713 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17714 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
17715 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17716 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17717 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17720 @item gnus-save-score
17721 @vindex gnus-save-score
17722 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17723 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17724 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17726 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17727 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17728 across group visits.
17730 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17731 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17732 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17733 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17734 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17735 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17736 manually entered data.
17738 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17739 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17740 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17742 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17743 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17744 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17745 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17746 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17747 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17749 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17750 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17751 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17752 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17754 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17755 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17756 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17757 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17759 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17760 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17761 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17762 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17764 Predefined functions available are:
17767 @item gnus-score-find-single
17768 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17769 Only apply the group's own score file.
17771 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17772 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17773 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17774 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17775 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17776 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17777 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17778 then a regexp match is done.
17780 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17781 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17783 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17784 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17785 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17786 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17788 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17789 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17790 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17791 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17792 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17796 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17797 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17798 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17799 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17800 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17801 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17802 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17805 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17806 overall score file, you could use the value
17808 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17809 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17812 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17813 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17814 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17815 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17816 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17818 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17819 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17820 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17821 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17822 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17823 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17824 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17825 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17827 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17828 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17829 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17831 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17832 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17833 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17834 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17835 threading---according to the current value of
17836 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17837 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17838 simplified in this manner.
17843 @node Score File Format
17844 @section Score File Format
17845 @cindex score file format
17847 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17848 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17849 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17851 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17855 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17857 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17859 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17861 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17866 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17870 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17871 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17872 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17873 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17877 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17878 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17880 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17881 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17882 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17884 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17889 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17890 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17891 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17892 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17893 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17894 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17895 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17896 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17897 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17898 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17899 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17900 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17901 to articles that matches these score entries.
17903 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17904 score entry has one to four elements.
17908 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17909 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17913 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17914 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17915 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17916 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17917 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17918 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17921 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17922 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17923 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17924 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17925 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17928 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17929 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17930 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17931 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17934 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17935 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17936 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17937 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17938 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17939 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17940 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17941 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17942 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17943 instead, if you feel like.
17946 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17947 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17948 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17949 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17950 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17951 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17954 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17958 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17959 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17961 These predicates are true if
17964 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17967 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17968 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17975 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17976 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17977 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17978 it's not. I think.)
17980 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17981 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17982 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17983 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17986 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17987 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17988 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17989 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17990 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17991 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17992 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17996 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17997 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17998 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17999 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18000 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18001 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18002 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18003 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18006 @item Head, Body, All
18007 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18011 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18012 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18013 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18014 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18015 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18016 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18017 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18021 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18022 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18023 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18024 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18025 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18026 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18027 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18028 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18029 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18030 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18031 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18035 @cindex Score File Atoms
18037 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18038 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18041 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18042 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18044 @item mark-and-expunge
18045 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18046 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18049 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18050 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18051 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18052 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18053 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18056 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18057 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18060 @item exclude-files
18061 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18062 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18066 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18067 ignored when handling global score files.
18070 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18071 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18072 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18073 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18076 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18077 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18078 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18079 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18081 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18085 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18088 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18089 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18090 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18091 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18092 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18094 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18095 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18096 scoring rules exist.
18099 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18100 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18101 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18102 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18103 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18104 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18105 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18106 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18107 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18108 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18109 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18113 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18114 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18115 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18116 file for a number of groups.
18119 @cindex local variables
18120 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18121 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18122 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18123 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18124 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18128 @node Score File Editing
18129 @section Score File Editing
18131 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18132 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18133 with a mode for that.
18135 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18136 additional commands:
18141 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18142 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18143 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18144 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18147 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18148 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18149 Insert the current date in numerical format
18150 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18151 you were wondering.
18154 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18155 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18156 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18157 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18158 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18163 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18165 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18166 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18168 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18169 e} to begin editing score files.
18172 @node Adaptive Scoring
18173 @section Adaptive Scoring
18174 @cindex adaptive scoring
18176 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18177 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18178 stupidity, to be precise.
18180 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18181 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18182 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18183 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18184 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18185 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18186 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18187 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18188 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18190 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18191 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18192 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18193 might look something like this:
18196 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18197 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18198 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18199 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18200 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18201 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18202 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18203 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18204 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18205 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18206 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18207 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18210 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18211 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18212 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18213 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18214 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18215 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18218 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18219 will be applied to each article.
18221 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18222 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18223 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18224 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18226 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18227 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18228 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18229 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18231 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18232 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18233 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18234 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18236 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18237 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18238 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18239 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18240 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18241 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18243 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
18244 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
18245 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
18246 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
18247 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
18248 aspirins afterwards.)
18250 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18251 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18252 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18254 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18255 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18256 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18258 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18259 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18260 let you use different rules in different groups.
18262 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18263 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18264 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18267 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18268 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18269 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18270 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18271 the length of the match is less than
18272 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18273 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18276 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18277 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18278 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18279 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18280 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18283 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18284 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18285 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18286 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18287 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18290 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18291 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18292 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18293 score with 30 points.
18295 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18296 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18297 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18298 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18299 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18301 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18302 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18303 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18304 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18305 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18307 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18308 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18309 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18310 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18312 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18313 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18314 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18315 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18317 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18318 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18319 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18320 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18321 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18323 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18324 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18325 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18327 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18328 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18329 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18330 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18333 @node Home Score File
18334 @section Home Score File
18336 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18337 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18338 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18339 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18341 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18342 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18343 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18345 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18346 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18351 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18355 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18356 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18360 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18364 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18365 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18368 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18369 the home score file.
18372 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18375 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18380 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18383 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18384 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18387 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18388 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18390 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18392 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18393 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18396 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18397 Other functions include
18400 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18401 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18402 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18403 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18407 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18408 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18409 their own home score files:
18412 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18413 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18414 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18415 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18416 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18419 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18420 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18421 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18422 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18423 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18425 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18426 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18427 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18428 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18429 precedence over this variable.
18432 @node Followups To Yourself
18433 @section Followups To Yourself
18435 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18436 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18437 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18438 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18439 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18440 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18444 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18445 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18446 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18449 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18450 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18451 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18455 @vindex message-sent-hook
18456 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18457 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18459 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18463 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18464 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18468 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18469 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18472 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18473 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18478 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18482 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18483 is system-dependent.
18486 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18487 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18488 @cindex scoring on other headers
18490 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18491 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18492 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18493 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18494 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18496 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18497 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18498 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18499 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18500 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18502 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18505 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18506 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18509 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18510 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18511 time if you have much mail.
18513 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18514 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18520 @section Scoring Tips
18521 @cindex scoring tips
18527 @cindex scoring crossposts
18528 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18529 the @code{Xref} header.
18531 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18534 @item Multiple crossposts
18535 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18536 more than, say, 3 groups:
18539 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18543 @item Matching on the body
18544 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18545 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18546 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18547 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18548 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18549 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18550 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18553 @item Marking as read
18554 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18555 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18556 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18560 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18562 @item Negated character classes
18563 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18564 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18565 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18569 @node Reverse Scoring
18570 @section Reverse Scoring
18571 @cindex reverse scoring
18573 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18574 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18575 like this in your score file:
18579 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18584 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18585 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18588 @node Global Score Files
18589 @section Global Score Files
18590 @cindex global score files
18592 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18593 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18594 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18596 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18597 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18598 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18600 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18601 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18602 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18603 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18604 files are applicable to which group.
18606 To use the score file
18607 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18608 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18612 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18613 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18614 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18617 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18619 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18620 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18621 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18622 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18624 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18625 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18627 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18628 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18629 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18630 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18631 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18632 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18634 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18640 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18642 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18644 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18646 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18647 lowered out of existence.
18649 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18650 articles completely.
18653 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18654 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18655 old articles for a long time.
18658 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18659 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18660 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18661 holding our breath yet?
18665 @section Kill Files
18668 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18669 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18670 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18672 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18673 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18674 files into score files.
18676 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18677 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18678 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18679 that isn't a very good idea.
18681 Normal kill files look like this:
18684 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18685 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18689 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18690 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18692 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18693 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18696 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18701 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18702 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18703 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18706 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18707 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18708 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18711 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18716 @kindex M-k (Group)
18717 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18718 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18721 @kindex M-K (Group)
18722 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18723 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18726 Kill file variables:
18729 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18730 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18731 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18732 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18733 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18734 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18735 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18737 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18738 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18739 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18740 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18743 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18744 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18745 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18746 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18747 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18748 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18749 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18750 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18751 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18753 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18754 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18755 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18760 @node Converting Kill Files
18761 @section Converting Kill Files
18763 @cindex converting kill files
18765 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18766 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18767 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18770 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18771 You can fetch it from
18772 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18774 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18775 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18776 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18784 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18785 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18786 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18787 news articles generated every day.
18789 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18790 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18791 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18792 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18793 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18794 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18795 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18796 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18799 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18800 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18803 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18804 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18805 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18806 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18810 @node Using GroupLens
18811 @subsection Using GroupLens
18813 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18815 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18816 better bit in town at the moment.
18818 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18822 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18823 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18824 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18825 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18827 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18828 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18829 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18830 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18832 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18833 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18834 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18838 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18839 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18840 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18841 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18842 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18843 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18846 @node Rating Articles
18847 @subsection Rating Articles
18849 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18850 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18851 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18852 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18855 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18860 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18861 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18862 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18865 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18866 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18867 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18868 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18869 threads in rec.humor.
18873 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18874 the score of the article you're reading.
18879 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18880 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18881 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18884 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18885 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18886 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18890 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18891 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18894 @node Displaying Predictions
18895 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18897 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18898 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18899 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18900 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18901 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18903 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18904 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18905 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18906 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18907 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18908 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18909 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18910 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18911 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18912 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18913 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18914 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18915 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18917 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18918 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18919 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18920 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18922 The following are valid values for that variable.
18925 @item prediction-spot
18926 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18929 @item confidence-interval
18930 A numeric confidence interval.
18932 @item prediction-bar
18933 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18935 @item confidence-bar
18936 Numerical confidence.
18938 @item confidence-spot
18939 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18941 @item prediction-num
18942 Plain-old numeric value.
18944 @item confidence-plus-minus
18945 Prediction +/- confidence.
18950 @node GroupLens Variables
18951 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18955 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18956 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18957 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18958 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18961 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18962 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18965 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18966 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18968 @item grouplens-score-offset
18969 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18970 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18973 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18974 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18975 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18980 @node Advanced Scoring
18981 @section Advanced Scoring
18983 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18984 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18985 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18986 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18987 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18989 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18993 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18994 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18995 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18999 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19000 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19002 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19003 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19004 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19005 non-@code{nil} value.
19007 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19008 operator, and various match operators.
19015 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19016 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19017 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19022 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19023 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19024 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19029 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19030 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19034 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19035 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19036 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19037 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19038 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19039 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19040 the ancestry you want to go.
19042 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19043 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19044 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19045 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19046 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19049 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19050 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19052 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19053 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19056 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19057 when he's talking about Gnus:
19061 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19062 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19068 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19072 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19079 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19080 really don't want to read what he's written:
19084 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19085 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19089 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19090 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19091 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19098 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19099 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19100 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19101 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19105 The possibilities are endless.
19108 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19109 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19111 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19112 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19113 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19114 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19115 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19116 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19117 @samp{subject}) first.
19119 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19120 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19131 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19132 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19138 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19145 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19146 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19151 @section Score Decays
19152 @cindex score decays
19155 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19156 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19157 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19158 use them in any sensible way.
19160 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19161 @findex gnus-decay-score
19162 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19163 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19164 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19165 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19166 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19167 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19168 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19169 definition of that function:
19172 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19174 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19175 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19178 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19180 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19182 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19185 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19186 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19187 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19188 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19192 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19195 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19198 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19202 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19203 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19204 the new score, which should be an integer.
19206 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19207 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19212 @include message.texi
19213 @chapter Emacs MIME
19214 @include emacs-mime.texi
19216 @include sieve.texi
19226 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19227 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19228 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19229 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19230 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19231 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19232 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19233 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19234 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19235 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19236 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19237 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19238 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19239 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19240 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19241 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19242 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19243 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19244 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19248 @node Process/Prefix
19249 @section Process/Prefix
19250 @cindex process/prefix convention
19252 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19253 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19255 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19256 command to be performed on.
19260 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19261 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19262 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19263 with the current one.
19265 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19266 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19267 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19269 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19270 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19273 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19274 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19276 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19279 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19280 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19281 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19282 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19284 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19285 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19286 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19287 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19288 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19289 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19290 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19291 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19293 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19294 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19295 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19296 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19297 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19301 @section Interactive
19302 @cindex interaction
19306 @item gnus-novice-user
19307 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19308 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19309 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19310 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19311 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19314 @item gnus-expert-user
19315 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19316 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19317 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19318 matter how strange.
19320 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19321 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19322 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19323 is @code{t} by default.
19325 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19326 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19327 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19332 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19333 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19334 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19336 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19337 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19338 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19339 rule of 900 to the current article.
19341 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19342 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19343 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19344 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19345 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19346 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19347 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19349 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19350 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19351 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19352 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19353 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19354 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19355 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19356 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19357 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19359 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19360 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19361 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19363 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19367 @node Formatting Variables
19368 @section Formatting Variables
19369 @cindex formatting variables
19371 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19372 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19373 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19374 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19375 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19378 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19379 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19380 lots of percentages everywhere.
19383 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19384 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19385 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19386 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19387 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19388 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19389 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19390 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19393 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19394 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19395 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19396 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19397 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19398 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19399 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19400 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19402 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19403 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19405 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19406 @findex gnus-update-format
19407 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19408 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19409 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19410 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19414 @node Formatting Basics
19415 @subsection Formatting Basics
19417 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19418 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19419 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19421 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19422 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19423 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19424 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19425 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19428 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19429 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19430 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19431 less than 4 characters wide.
19433 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19434 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19437 @node Mode Line Formatting
19438 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19440 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19441 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19442 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19443 with the following two differences:
19448 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19451 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19452 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19453 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19454 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19455 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19456 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19457 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19462 @node Advanced Formatting
19463 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19465 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19466 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19467 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19468 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19470 These are the valid modifiers:
19475 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19479 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19484 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19487 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19492 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19495 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19498 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19501 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19507 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19512 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19513 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19514 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19515 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19516 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19517 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19518 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19520 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19521 last operation, padding.
19523 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19524 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19525 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19526 @xref{Compilation}.
19529 @node User-Defined Specs
19530 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19532 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19533 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19534 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19535 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19536 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19537 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19538 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19539 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19540 should protect against that.
19542 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19543 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19545 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19546 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19547 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19548 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19552 @node Formatting Fonts
19553 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19555 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19556 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19557 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19558 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19561 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19562 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19563 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19564 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19565 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19566 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19568 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19569 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19570 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19571 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19572 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19573 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19574 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19575 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19576 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19577 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19579 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19582 ;; Create three face types.
19583 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19584 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19586 ;; We want the article count to be in
19587 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19588 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19589 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19591 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19592 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19594 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19595 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19596 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19599 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19600 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19602 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19603 mode-line variables.
19605 @node Positioning Point
19606 @subsection Positioning Point
19608 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19609 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19610 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19612 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19614 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19615 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19616 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19618 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19619 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
19620 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19625 @subsection Tabulation
19627 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19628 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19629 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19630 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19632 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19633 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19635 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19636 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19637 This is the soft tabulator.
19639 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19640 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19641 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19644 @node Wide Characters
19645 @subsection Wide Characters
19647 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19648 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19649 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19651 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19652 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19653 these countries, that's not true.
19655 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19656 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19657 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19658 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19662 @node Window Layout
19663 @section Window Layout
19664 @cindex window layout
19666 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19668 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19669 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19670 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19671 @code{t} by default.
19673 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19674 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19676 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19677 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19678 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19681 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19682 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19683 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19687 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19688 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19689 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19690 possible names is listed below.
19692 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19693 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19696 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19700 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19701 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19702 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19703 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19704 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19705 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19706 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19707 size spec per split.
19709 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19710 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19711 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19712 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19713 present) gets focus.
19715 Here's a more complicated example:
19718 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19719 (summary 0.25 point)
19720 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19724 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19725 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19726 occupy, not a percentage.
19728 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19729 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19730 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19731 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19732 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19735 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19738 (article (horizontal 1.0
19743 (summary 0.25 point)
19748 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19749 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19751 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19752 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19753 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19754 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19755 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19757 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19758 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19759 lines from the splits.
19761 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19765 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19766 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19767 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19768 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19769 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19770 size = number | frame-params
19771 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19774 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19775 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19776 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19777 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19779 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19780 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19781 @cindex window height
19782 @cindex window width
19783 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19784 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19785 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19786 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19787 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19788 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19790 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19791 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19792 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19793 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19795 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19796 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19797 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19798 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19799 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19800 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19801 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19802 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19803 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19804 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19805 configuration list.
19808 (gnus-configure-frame
19812 (article 0.3 point))
19820 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19821 @code{frame} split:
19824 (gnus-configure-frame
19827 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19829 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19830 (user-position . t)
19831 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19836 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19837 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19838 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19839 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19840 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19841 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19842 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19843 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19845 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19846 be found in its default value.
19848 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19849 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19850 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19854 (message (horizontal 1.0
19855 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19857 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19862 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19863 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19864 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19869 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19870 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19871 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19872 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19873 (name . "Message"))
19874 (message 1.0 point))))
19877 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19878 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19879 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19880 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19881 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19884 (gnus-add-configuration
19885 '(article (vertical 1.0
19887 (summary .25 point)
19891 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19892 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19893 Gnus has been loaded.
19895 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19896 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19897 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19898 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19899 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19901 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19902 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19903 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19906 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19910 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19911 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19926 (gnus-add-configuration
19929 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19931 (summary 0.16 point)
19934 (gnus-add-configuration
19937 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19938 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19944 @node Faces and Fonts
19945 @section Faces and Fonts
19950 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19951 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19952 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19957 @section Compilation
19958 @cindex compilation
19959 @cindex byte-compilation
19961 @findex gnus-compile
19963 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19964 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19965 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19966 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19967 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19968 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19971 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19972 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19973 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19974 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19975 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19976 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19977 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19981 @section Mode Lines
19984 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19985 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19986 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19987 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19988 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19989 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19990 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19993 @cindex display-time
19995 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19996 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19997 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19998 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19999 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20000 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20001 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20002 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20005 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20007 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20008 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20010 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20011 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20012 (length display-time-string)))))
20015 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20016 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20017 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20018 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20019 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20022 @node Highlighting and Menus
20023 @section Highlighting and Menus
20025 @cindex highlighting
20028 @vindex gnus-visual
20029 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20030 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20031 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20034 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20035 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20038 @item group-highlight
20039 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20040 @item summary-highlight
20041 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20042 @item article-highlight
20043 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20045 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20047 Create menus in the group buffer.
20049 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20051 Create menus in the article buffer.
20053 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20055 Create menus in the server buffer.
20057 Create menus in the score buffers.
20059 Create menus in all buffers.
20062 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20063 buffers, you could say something like:
20066 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20069 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20072 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20075 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20076 in all Gnus buffers.
20078 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20081 @item gnus-mouse-face
20082 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20083 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20084 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20088 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20092 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20093 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20094 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20096 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20097 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20098 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20100 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20101 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20102 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20104 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20105 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20106 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20108 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20109 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20110 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20112 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20113 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20114 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20125 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20126 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20127 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20128 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20129 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20133 @vindex gnus-carpal
20134 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20135 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20136 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20141 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20142 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20143 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20145 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20146 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20147 Face used on buttons.
20149 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20150 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20151 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20153 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20154 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20155 Buttons in the group buffer.
20157 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20158 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20159 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20161 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20162 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20163 Buttons in the server buffer.
20165 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20166 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20167 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20170 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20171 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20172 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20180 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20181 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20182 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20183 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20184 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20186 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20187 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20188 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20190 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20191 been idle for thirty minutes:
20194 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20197 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20201 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20204 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20205 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20206 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20208 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20209 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20210 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20211 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20213 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20214 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20215 @var{idle} minutes.
20217 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20218 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20221 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20222 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20223 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20225 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20226 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20227 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20228 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20230 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20231 your @file{.gnus} file:
20233 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20235 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20238 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20239 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20240 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20241 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20242 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20243 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20244 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20245 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20246 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20247 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20248 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
20250 @findex gnus-demon-init
20251 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20252 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20253 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20254 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20255 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20257 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20258 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20259 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20268 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20269 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20271 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20272 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20273 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20274 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20277 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20278 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20279 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20280 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20282 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20283 this will make spam disappear.
20285 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20288 @item gnus-use-nocem
20289 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20290 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20293 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20294 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20295 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20296 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20297 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20299 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20300 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20301 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20302 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20303 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20304 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20306 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20307 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20309 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20310 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20311 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20312 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20313 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20314 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20315 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20316 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20317 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20318 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20320 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20321 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20324 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20327 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20328 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20331 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20334 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20337 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20338 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20340 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20341 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20342 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20343 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20345 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20346 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20349 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20351 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20359 This might be dangerous, though.
20361 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20362 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20363 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20364 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20366 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20367 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20368 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20369 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20370 might then see old spam.
20372 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20373 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20374 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20375 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20376 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20379 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20380 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20381 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20382 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20386 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20387 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20388 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20389 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20396 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20397 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20398 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20400 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20401 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20402 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20403 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20404 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20405 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20406 @code{undo} function.
20408 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20409 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20410 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20411 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20412 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20413 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20414 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20415 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20416 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20417 never be totally undoable.
20419 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20420 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20422 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20423 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20424 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20425 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20429 @node Predicate Specifiers
20430 @section Predicate Specifiers
20431 @cindex predicate specifiers
20433 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20434 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20435 to type all that much.
20437 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20442 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20443 gnus-article-unread-p)
20446 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20447 functions all take one parameter.
20449 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20450 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20451 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20452 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20457 @section Moderation
20460 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20461 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20462 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20465 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20469 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20472 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20474 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20479 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20480 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20481 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20484 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20485 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20488 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20489 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20493 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20496 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20497 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20501 @node Image Enhancements
20502 @section Image Enhancements
20504 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20505 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20508 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20509 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20510 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20511 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20512 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20525 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20526 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20527 over your shoulder as you read news.
20530 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20531 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20532 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20533 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20534 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20539 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20541 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20550 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20551 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20552 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20553 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20554 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20555 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20556 @code{GIF} formats.
20559 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20560 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20561 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20562 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20563 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20565 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20566 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20567 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20568 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20569 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20570 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20572 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20573 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20576 @node Picon Requirements
20577 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20579 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20580 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20581 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20582 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20584 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20585 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20586 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20587 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20588 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20589 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20592 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20594 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20595 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20598 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20599 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20602 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20603 containing the Picons databases.
20605 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20608 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20609 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20614 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20622 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20623 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20624 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20625 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20626 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20631 @item gnus-picons-database
20632 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20633 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20634 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20635 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20636 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20637 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20639 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20640 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20641 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20642 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20643 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20644 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20645 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20647 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20648 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20649 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20650 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20651 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20652 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20653 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20654 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20656 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20657 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20658 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20663 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20664 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20666 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20667 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20670 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20672 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20673 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20674 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20675 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20677 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20678 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20679 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20680 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20686 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20687 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20695 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20696 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20697 don't need to worry about.
20701 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20702 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20703 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20704 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20706 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20707 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20708 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20709 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20711 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20712 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20713 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20714 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20715 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20717 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20718 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20719 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20720 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20721 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20722 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20723 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20724 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20726 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20727 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20728 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20729 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20730 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20732 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20733 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20734 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20735 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20736 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20737 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20738 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20740 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20741 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20742 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20743 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20745 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20746 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20747 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20748 Defaults to @code{t}.
20750 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20751 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20752 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20753 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20755 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20756 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20757 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20759 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20760 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20761 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20762 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20764 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20765 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20767 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20768 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20769 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20770 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20771 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20772 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20773 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20774 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20785 @subsection Smileys
20790 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20795 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20796 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20798 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20799 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20802 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20805 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20806 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20807 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20808 text and maps that to file names.
20810 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20811 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20812 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20813 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20814 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20815 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20817 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20818 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20820 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20821 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20822 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20824 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20825 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20829 @item smiley-data-directory
20830 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20831 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20833 @item smiley-flesh-color
20834 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20835 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20837 @item smiley-features-color
20838 @vindex smiley-features-color
20839 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20841 @item smiley-tongue-color
20842 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20843 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20845 @item smiley-circle-color
20846 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20847 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20849 @item smiley-mouse-face
20850 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20851 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20860 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20861 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20862 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20866 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20867 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20868 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20869 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20877 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20878 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20879 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20880 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20882 The variable that controls this is the
20883 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20884 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20885 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20886 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20887 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20889 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20890 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20891 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20892 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20895 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20896 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20897 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20898 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20899 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20900 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20901 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20902 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20904 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20907 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20908 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20910 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20911 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20912 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20913 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20914 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20915 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20917 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20918 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20919 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20921 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20922 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20925 (setq message-required-news-headers
20926 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20927 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20930 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20933 (setq message-required-news-headers
20934 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20935 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20936 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20937 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20942 @subsection Toolbar
20952 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20953 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20954 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20955 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20956 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20958 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20959 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20960 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20962 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20963 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20964 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20966 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20967 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20968 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20974 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20977 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20978 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20979 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20980 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20981 unusual directory structure.
20983 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20984 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20985 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20986 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20988 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20989 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20990 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20991 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20992 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20993 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20995 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20996 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20997 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21011 @node Fuzzy Matching
21012 @section Fuzzy Matching
21013 @cindex fuzzy matching
21015 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21016 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21018 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21019 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21020 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21022 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21023 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21024 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21025 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21026 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21029 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21030 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21034 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21036 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21037 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21038 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21039 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21040 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21041 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21042 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21043 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21046 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21047 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21048 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21049 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21050 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21051 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21053 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21056 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21057 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21058 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21059 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21060 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
21061 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
21064 @node The problem of spam
21065 @subsection The problem of spam
21067 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21068 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21070 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21072 First, some background on spam.
21074 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21075 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21076 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21077 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21078 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21079 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21080 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21081 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21083 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21084 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21085 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21086 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21087 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21088 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21089 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21090 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21091 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21094 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21095 spam messages per day from @email{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21096 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21097 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21098 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21099 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21100 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21101 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21102 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21103 mail can be useful.
21105 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21106 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21107 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21108 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21109 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21110 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21111 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21112 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21113 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21115 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21116 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21117 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21118 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21119 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21120 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21121 because of the incident.
21123 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21124 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21125 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21126 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21127 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21128 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21129 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21130 to store the database of spam analyses.
21132 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21133 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21137 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21139 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21140 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21142 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21143 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21144 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21145 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21146 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21147 part of the mail address.)
21150 (setq message-default-news-headers
21151 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21154 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21155 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21160 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21161 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21162 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21168 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21169 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21170 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21171 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21173 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21174 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21175 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21176 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21177 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21178 your fancy split rule in this way:
21183 (to "larsi" "misc")
21187 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21188 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21189 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21190 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21191 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21193 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21194 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21195 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21196 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21197 cosmic balance somewhat.
21199 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21200 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21201 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21202 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21207 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21208 @cindex SpamAssassin
21209 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21212 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21213 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21214 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21215 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21216 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21217 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21218 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21220 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21221 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21222 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21223 Specifiers}) follows.
21227 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21230 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21233 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21234 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21235 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21238 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21242 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21245 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21246 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21250 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21251 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21252 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21253 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21256 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21258 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21260 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21261 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21263 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21265 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21266 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21270 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21271 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21272 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21275 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21276 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21278 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21279 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21280 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21284 @subsection Hashcash
21287 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21288 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21289 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21290 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21291 in smaller communities.
21293 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21294 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21295 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21296 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21297 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21298 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21299 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21300 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21301 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21302 one of them separately.
21305 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21306 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21307 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21308 header. For more details, and for the external application
21309 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21310 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21311 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21313 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21317 (require 'hashcash)
21318 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21321 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21322 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21323 development contrib directory.
21325 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21329 @item hashcash-default-payment
21330 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21331 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21332 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21333 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21335 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21336 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21337 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21338 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21339 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21340 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21341 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21342 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21346 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21350 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21351 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21352 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21353 a useful contribution, however.
21355 @node Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21356 @subsection Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21357 @cindex spam filtering
21360 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21361 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21362 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21363 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21366 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21367 the following keyboard commands:
21377 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21378 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21380 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{H} mark.
21381 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21382 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21383 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21389 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21390 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21392 You must have bogofilter processing enabled for that command to work
21399 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21400 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21403 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21404 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21405 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21406 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21407 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21408 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21409 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21410 will be detected later.
21412 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21413 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21414 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21415 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21416 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21417 by customizing the corresponding variable
21418 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21419 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21420 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21421 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21422 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21423 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21424 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21427 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21428 they get the @samp{H} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21429 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{H} mark for
21430 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{H}
21431 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21432 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21433 spam-marked (@samp{H}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21434 will study them as spam samples.
21436 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21437 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21438 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21439 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21440 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21441 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21442 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21443 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21445 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21446 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21447 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21448 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21451 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21452 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21453 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21456 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21457 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21458 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21459 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21460 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21461 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{H},
21464 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21465 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21466 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups.
21468 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21469 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21471 @strong{TODO: The @code{ifile} spam processor does not work at this
21472 time. I'm waiting for info from the author of @code{ifile-gnus.el},
21473 because I think that functionality should go in @code{ifile-gnus.el}
21474 rather than @code{spam.el}. You can still use @code{spam-use-ifile}
21475 to tell @code{spam-split} you want to use ifile for splitting incoming
21478 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21479 must add the following to your fancy split list
21480 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21486 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21487 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21488 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21490 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21491 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21492 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21493 but you can customize it.
21495 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21496 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
21499 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21500 * BBDB Whitelists::
21503 * Ifile spam filtering::
21504 * Extending spam.el::
21507 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21508 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21509 @cindex spam filtering
21510 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21511 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21514 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21515 Set this variable to t if you want to use blacklists when splitting
21516 incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist will be
21517 sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit filter,
21518 meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to be
21522 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21523 Set this variable to t if you want to use whitelists when splitting
21524 incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the whitelist will
21525 be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an implicit filter,
21526 meaning it believes everyone to be a spammer unless told otherwise.
21530 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
21531 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21532 customizing the group parameters or the
21533 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21534 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21535 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
21538 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
21539 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21540 customizing the group parameters or the
21541 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21542 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21543 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21544 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21545 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21548 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21549 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21550 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21551 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
21552 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21554 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21555 legitimate. All non-whitelisted addresses are considered spammers.
21556 This option is probably not useful for most Gnus users unless the
21557 whitelists is very comprehensive or permissive. Also see @ref{BBDB
21558 Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the Emacs regular expression
21561 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
21562 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
21563 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
21564 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
21565 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21566 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21568 @node BBDB Whitelists
21569 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21570 @cindex spam filtering
21571 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21572 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21575 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
21577 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21578 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted addresses,
21579 without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded for
21580 @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Only addresses in the BBDB
21581 will be allowed through; all others will be classified as spam.
21585 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
21586 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21587 customizing the group parameters or the
21588 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21589 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21590 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21591 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21592 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21596 @subsubsection Blackholes
21597 @cindex spam filtering
21598 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21601 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21603 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21604 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21605 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21606 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21607 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21608 contains outdated servers.
21610 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21611 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21612 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21613 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21614 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21615 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21619 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
21621 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
21625 @defvar spam-use-dig
21627 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
21628 The default setting of t is recommended.
21632 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
21633 ham processor for blackholes.
21636 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21637 @cindex spam filtering
21638 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21641 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21643 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
21644 speedy Bogofilter. This has been tested with a locally patched copy
21645 of version 0.4. Make sure to read the installation comments in
21648 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{H} mark for spam
21649 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21650 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21651 category, spam or not. The shell command @command{head -1
21652 ~/.bogofilter/*} shows both article counts. The command @kbd{S t} in
21653 summary mode, either for debugging or for curiosity, triggers
21654 Bogofilter into displaying in another buffer the @emph{spamicity}
21655 score of the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0), together with the
21656 article words which most significantly contribute to the score.
21658 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
21659 processing will be turned off.
21664 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
21665 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21666 customizing the group parameters or the
21667 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21668 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
21669 will be added to the bogofilter spam database, and ham-marked articles
21670 will be added to the bogofilter ham database. @strong{Note that the
21671 Bogofilter spam processor is the only spam processor to also do ham
21675 @node Ifile spam filtering
21676 @subsubsection Ifile spam filtering
21677 @cindex spam filtering
21678 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21681 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21683 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Ifile, a
21684 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter. Currently you must have
21685 @code{ifile-gnus.el} loaded. The integration of Ifile with
21686 @code{spam.el} is not finished yet, but you can use
21687 @code{ifile-gnus.el} on its own if you like.
21691 Ifile can only be used to filter incoming mail into spam and ham
21692 through the @code{spam-split} function. It will be better integrated
21693 with @code{spam.el} with the next release of @code{ifile-gnus.el}.
21695 @node Extending spam.el
21696 @subsubsection Extending spam.el
21697 @cindex spam filtering
21698 @cindex spam.el, extending
21699 @cindex extending spam.el
21701 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
21702 incoming mail, provide the following:
21710 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21711 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21716 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21718 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21723 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21724 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21725 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21728 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
21735 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
21736 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
21739 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21740 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
21741 Only applicable to spam groups.")
21743 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21744 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
21745 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
21753 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
21754 (spam-generic-register-routine
21755 ;; the spam function
21757 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21758 (when (stringp from)
21759 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
21760 ;; the ham function
21763 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
21764 (spam-generic-register-routine
21765 ;; the spam function
21767 ;; the ham function
21769 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
21770 (when (stringp from)
21771 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
21774 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
21775 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
21776 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
21777 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
21778 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
21779 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
21784 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21785 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21786 @cindex Paul Graham
21787 @cindex Graham, Paul
21788 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
21789 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
21790 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
21792 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
21793 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
21794 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
21795 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
21796 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
21797 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
21798 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
21799 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
21800 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
21803 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
21804 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
21805 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
21806 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
21807 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
21808 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
21809 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
21810 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
21812 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
21813 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
21814 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
21815 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
21816 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
21819 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
21820 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
21821 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
21824 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21825 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21827 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
21828 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
21829 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
21830 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
21831 need several hundred emails in both collections.
21833 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
21834 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
21835 per mail. Use the following:
21837 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
21838 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
21839 is treated as one spam mail.
21842 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
21843 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
21844 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
21847 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
21848 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
21849 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
21850 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
21851 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
21852 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
21855 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
21856 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
21857 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
21858 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
21861 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
21862 reset the dictionary.
21864 @defun spam-stat-reset
21865 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
21868 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
21869 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
21870 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
21871 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
21872 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
21873 only non-spam mails.
21875 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
21876 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
21877 to update the dictionary incrementally.
21880 @defun spam-stat-save
21881 Save the dictionary.
21884 @defvar spam-stat-file
21885 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
21886 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
21889 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
21890 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
21892 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
21893 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21896 (require 'spam-stat)
21900 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
21903 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
21904 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. In the simplest case, you only have
21905 two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says
21906 that mail is either spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is
21907 spam, then @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
21910 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21911 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21915 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
21916 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
21919 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
21920 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
21921 expression are considered potential spam.
21924 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21925 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21926 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21930 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
21931 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
21932 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
21933 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
21934 mails, when creating the dictionary!
21937 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21938 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21939 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21943 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
21944 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
21945 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
21946 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
21947 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
21951 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21952 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
21953 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21954 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21959 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21960 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21962 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
21964 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
21965 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
21966 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
21969 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
21970 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
21971 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
21974 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
21975 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
21976 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
21977 already been processed as non-spam.
21980 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
21981 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
21982 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
21983 been processed as spam.
21986 @defun spam-stat-save
21987 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
21988 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
21991 @defun spam-stat-load
21992 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
21993 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
21996 @defun spam-stat-score-word
21997 Return the spam score for a word.
22000 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22001 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22004 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22005 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22006 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22009 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22010 following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22013 (require 'spam-stat)
22017 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22020 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22021 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22022 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22023 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22024 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22025 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22026 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22027 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22028 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22029 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22030 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22031 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22032 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22033 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22036 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22039 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22040 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22041 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22042 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22043 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22044 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22047 @node Various Various
22048 @section Various Various
22054 @item gnus-home-directory
22055 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
22056 defaults to @file{~/}.
22058 @item gnus-directory
22059 @vindex gnus-directory
22060 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
22061 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
22062 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22064 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22065 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22066 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22067 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22069 @item gnus-default-directory
22070 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22071 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22072 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22073 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22074 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22075 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22076 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22079 @vindex gnus-verbose
22080 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22081 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22082 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22083 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22084 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22086 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22087 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22088 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22089 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22091 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22092 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22093 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22094 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22095 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22096 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22097 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22098 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22099 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22100 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22102 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22103 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22104 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22105 read when doing the operation described above.
22107 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22108 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22110 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22111 @cindex characters in file names
22112 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22113 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22114 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22117 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22121 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22122 Windows (phooey) systems.
22124 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22125 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22126 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22127 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22128 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22130 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22131 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22132 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22133 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22134 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22136 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22137 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22138 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22140 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22141 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22143 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22144 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22145 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22146 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22149 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22157 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22158 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22160 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22162 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22168 Not because of victories @*
22171 but for the common sunshine,@*
22173 the largess of the spring.
22177 but for the day's work done@*
22178 as well as I was able;@*
22179 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22180 but at the common table.@*
22185 @chapter Appendices
22188 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22189 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22190 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22191 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22192 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22193 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22194 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22195 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22196 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22203 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22205 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22206 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22207 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22208 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22209 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22210 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22217 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22218 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22220 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22221 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22222 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22223 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22224 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22226 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22227 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22228 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22229 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22230 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22231 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22233 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22234 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22235 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22236 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22239 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22240 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22241 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22242 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22243 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22244 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22245 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22246 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22247 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22251 @node Gnus Versions
22252 @subsection Gnus Versions
22254 @cindex September Gnus
22256 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22257 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22261 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22262 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22263 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22265 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22266 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22268 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22269 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22271 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22272 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22274 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22275 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22278 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22280 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22281 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22282 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22283 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22284 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22285 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22288 @node Other Gnus Versions
22289 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22292 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22293 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22294 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22295 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22297 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22298 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22299 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22300 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22307 What's the point of Gnus?
22309 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22310 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22311 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22312 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22313 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22314 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22315 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22316 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22317 keep track of millions of people who post?
22319 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22320 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22321 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22322 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22323 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22324 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22325 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22326 every one of you to explore and invent.
22328 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22329 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22332 @node Compatibility
22333 @subsection Compatibility
22335 @cindex compatibility
22336 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22337 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22338 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22343 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22347 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22350 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22353 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22354 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22355 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22356 important variables have their values copied into their global
22357 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22358 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22360 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22361 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22362 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22363 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22364 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22368 @cindex highlighting
22369 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22370 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22371 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22372 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22373 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22374 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22377 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22378 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22379 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22380 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22382 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22383 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22384 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22385 to stop doing it the old way.
22387 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22389 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22391 @cindex reporting bugs
22393 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22394 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22395 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22397 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22398 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22399 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22400 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22405 @subsection Conformity
22407 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22408 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22416 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22420 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22422 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22423 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22424 We do have some breaches to this one.
22430 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22431 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22432 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22433 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22434 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22439 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22440 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22441 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22442 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22444 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22446 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22448 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22449 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22451 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22454 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22455 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22456 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22457 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22458 decoding (verification and decryption).
22460 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22461 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22462 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22463 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22465 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22466 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22468 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22469 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22470 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22471 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22472 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22473 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22474 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22478 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22479 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22484 @subsection Emacsen
22490 Gnus should work on :
22498 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
22502 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22503 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22506 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22507 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22508 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22512 @node Gnus Development
22513 @subsection Gnus Development
22515 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22516 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22517 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22518 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22519 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22520 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22521 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22522 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22524 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22525 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22526 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22527 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22528 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22531 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22532 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22533 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22534 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22535 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22537 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22538 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22539 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22540 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22541 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22542 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22543 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22544 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22545 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22546 can't be assumed to do so.
22551 @subsection Contributors
22552 @cindex contributors
22554 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22555 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22556 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22557 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22558 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22559 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22560 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22561 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22562 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22563 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22565 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22571 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22574 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22575 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22576 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22577 functionality and stuff.
22580 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22581 well as numerous other things).
22584 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22587 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22590 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22593 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22596 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22597 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22600 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22603 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22604 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22607 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22610 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22613 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22616 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22619 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22620 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22623 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22626 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22629 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22632 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22636 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22639 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22642 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22645 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22646 well as autoconf support.
22650 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22651 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22653 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22662 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22666 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22676 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22691 Massimo Campostrini,
22696 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22697 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22701 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22704 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22710 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22715 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22719 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22727 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22729 Michelangelo Grigni,
22733 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22735 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22737 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22744 François Felix Ingrand,
22745 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22746 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22748 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22759 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22760 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22762 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22763 Thor Kristoffersen,
22766 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
22784 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
22785 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
22792 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
22797 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
22801 John McClary Prevost,
22807 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
22812 Christian von Roques,
22815 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
22822 Philippe Schnoebelen,
22824 Randal L. Schwartz,
22838 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
22843 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
22859 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
22864 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
22865 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
22866 (550kB and counting).
22868 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
22871 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
22872 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
22876 @subsection New Features
22877 @cindex new features
22880 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
22881 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
22882 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
22883 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
22884 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
22887 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
22888 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
22889 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
22892 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
22894 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
22899 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
22900 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
22903 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
22904 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
22907 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
22910 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
22911 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
22912 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
22915 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
22916 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
22917 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
22918 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22921 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
22922 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22925 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
22926 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
22927 (@pxref{The Active File}).
22930 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
22931 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
22934 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
22935 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
22936 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22939 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
22940 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
22941 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
22944 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
22945 the @file{.emacs} file.
22948 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
22949 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
22952 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
22953 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
22956 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
22957 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22960 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
22961 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
22964 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
22965 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22968 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
22971 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
22972 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
22975 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
22976 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
22979 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
22980 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
22983 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
22986 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
22987 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22990 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
22994 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
22998 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
22999 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23002 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23008 @node September Gnus
23009 @subsubsection September Gnus
23013 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23017 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23022 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23023 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23027 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23028 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23032 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23036 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23037 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23040 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23044 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23047 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23050 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23053 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23057 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23058 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23061 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23065 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23069 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23073 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23077 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23080 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23081 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23084 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23088 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23089 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23092 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23095 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23096 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23097 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23100 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23104 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23107 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23111 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23112 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23115 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23116 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23119 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23120 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23123 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23124 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23125 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23128 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23129 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23132 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23135 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23138 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23141 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23144 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23145 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23148 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23152 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23155 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23160 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23163 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23167 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23170 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23174 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23177 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23180 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23181 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23184 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23185 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23189 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23190 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23193 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23197 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23198 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23201 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23204 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23208 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23212 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23213 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23216 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23220 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23221 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23224 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23225 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23228 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23232 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23235 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23238 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23244 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23246 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23250 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23257 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23260 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23261 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23264 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23265 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23269 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23270 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23273 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23276 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23277 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23280 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23284 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23285 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23289 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23290 Server Internals}).
23293 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23297 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23300 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23301 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23304 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23305 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23306 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23309 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23310 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23313 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23314 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23317 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23321 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23322 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23325 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23326 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23329 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23333 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23336 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23340 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23341 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23344 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23345 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23348 A new command for reading collections of documents
23349 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23350 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23353 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23357 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23358 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23361 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23362 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23363 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23366 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23367 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23371 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23375 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23379 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23384 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23388 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23392 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23393 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23396 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23402 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23404 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23409 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23410 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23411 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23414 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23415 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23416 group, which is created automatically.
23419 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23423 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23426 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23427 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23430 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23434 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23437 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23438 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23441 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23444 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23445 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23448 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23449 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23452 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23453 control over simplification.
23456 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23459 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23463 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23466 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23469 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23470 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23471 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23474 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23475 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23478 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23482 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23483 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23486 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23487 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23490 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23494 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23497 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23500 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23501 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23504 A new function for citing in Message has been
23505 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23508 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23511 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23515 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23516 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23519 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23520 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23523 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23526 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23530 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23531 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23533 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23538 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23539 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23541 If you used procmail like in
23544 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23545 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23546 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23547 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23550 this now has changed to
23554 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23558 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23559 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23562 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23563 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23566 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23567 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23570 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23571 called to position point.
23574 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23575 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23578 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23579 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23582 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23583 subtly different manner.
23586 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23587 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23588 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23591 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23599 @section The Manual
23603 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23604 either @code{texi2dvi}
23606 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23607 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23609 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23611 The following conventions have been used:
23616 This is a @samp{string}
23619 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23622 This is a @file{file}
23625 This is a @code{symbol}
23629 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23633 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23636 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23639 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23642 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23643 ever get them confused.
23647 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23648 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23649 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23650 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23651 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23652 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23653 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23659 @node On Writing Manuals
23660 @section On Writing Manuals
23662 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23663 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23664 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23665 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23666 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23667 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23670 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23671 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23672 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23675 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23676 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23681 @section Terminology
23683 @cindex terminology
23688 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23689 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23690 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23691 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23692 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23696 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23697 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23698 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23699 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23703 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23707 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23712 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23713 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23714 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23715 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23716 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23717 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23718 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23719 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23720 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23722 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23723 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23724 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23725 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23726 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23729 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23730 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23731 access the articles.
23733 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23734 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23735 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23740 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23741 default, way of getting news.
23745 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23746 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23751 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23752 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23756 A message that has been posted as news.
23759 @cindex mail message
23760 A message that has been mailed.
23764 A mail message or news article
23768 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
23773 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
23778 A line from the head of an article.
23782 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
23783 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
23787 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
23788 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
23789 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
23790 normal @sc{head} format.
23794 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
23795 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
23796 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
23797 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
23798 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
23799 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
23801 @item killed groups
23802 @cindex killed groups
23803 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
23804 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
23806 @item zombie groups
23807 @cindex zombie groups
23808 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
23811 @cindex active file
23812 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
23813 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
23814 is rather large, as you might surmise.
23817 @cindex bogus groups
23818 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
23819 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
23820 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
23823 @cindex activating groups
23824 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
23825 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
23826 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
23830 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
23832 @item select method
23833 @cindex select method
23834 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
23837 @item virtual server
23838 @cindex virtual server
23839 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
23840 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
23841 whole is a virtual server.
23845 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
23846 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
23849 @item ephemeral groups
23850 @cindex ephemeral groups
23851 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
23852 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
23853 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
23856 @cindex solid groups
23857 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
23858 group buffer are solid groups.
23860 @item sparse articles
23861 @cindex sparse articles
23862 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
23863 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
23867 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
23868 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
23872 @cindex thread root
23873 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
23874 articles in the thread.
23878 An article that has responses.
23882 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
23886 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
23887 specified by RFC 1153.
23893 @node Customization
23894 @section Customization
23895 @cindex general customization
23897 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
23898 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
23899 for some quite common situations.
23902 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
23903 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
23904 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
23905 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
23909 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
23910 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
23912 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
23913 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
23914 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
23918 @item gnus-read-active-file
23919 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
23920 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
23921 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23922 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
23923 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
23925 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
23926 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
23927 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
23928 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
23932 @node Slow Terminal Connection
23933 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
23935 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
23936 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
23937 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
23941 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
23942 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
23943 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
23944 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
23945 horizontal and vertical recentering.
23947 @item gnus-visible-headers
23948 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
23949 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
23950 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
23951 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
23953 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
23955 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
23956 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
23957 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
23960 @item gnus-use-full-window
23961 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
23962 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
23963 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
23964 want to read them anyway.
23966 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
23967 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
23971 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
23972 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
23973 lines, which might save some time.
23977 @node Little Disk Space
23978 @subsection Little Disk Space
23981 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
23982 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
23986 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
23987 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
23988 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23989 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23992 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
23993 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
23994 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23995 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23998 @item gnus-save-killed-list
23999 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24000 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24001 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24002 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24008 @subsection Slow Machine
24009 @cindex slow machine
24011 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24012 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24014 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24015 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24017 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24018 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24019 summary buffer faster.
24023 @node Troubleshooting
24024 @section Troubleshooting
24025 @cindex troubleshooting
24027 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24035 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24038 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24039 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24043 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24044 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
24045 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
24046 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24049 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24053 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24054 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24055 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24056 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24057 something like that.
24060 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24063 @cindex reporting bugs
24065 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24067 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24068 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24069 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24070 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24072 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24073 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24074 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24075 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24078 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24079 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24080 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24081 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24082 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24083 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24085 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24086 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24087 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24091 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24092 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24095 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24096 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24097 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24098 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24099 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24100 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24101 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24102 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24103 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24104 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24105 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24106 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24107 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24108 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24113 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24114 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24115 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press C-j when things are
24116 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24117 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24118 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24119 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24120 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24121 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24122 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-packagre RET message}. Then perform
24123 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24124 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24125 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24126 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24127 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24128 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24129 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24130 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24132 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24133 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24135 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24136 @cindex ding mailing list
24137 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
24138 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24142 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24143 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24145 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24146 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24147 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24148 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24151 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24152 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24153 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24154 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24155 and general methods of operation.
24158 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24159 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24160 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24161 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24162 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24163 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24164 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24165 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24166 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24170 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24171 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24172 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24173 @cindex utility functions
24175 @cindex internal variables
24177 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24178 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24179 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24183 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24184 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24185 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24187 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24188 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24189 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24191 @item gnus-group-real-name
24192 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24193 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24196 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24197 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24198 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24199 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24201 @item gnus-get-info
24202 @findex gnus-get-info
24203 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24205 @item gnus-group-unread
24206 @findex gnus-group-unread
24207 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24211 @findex gnus-active
24212 The active entry for @var{group}.
24214 @item gnus-set-active
24215 @findex gnus-set-active
24216 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24218 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24219 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24220 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24223 @item gnus-continuum-version
24224 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24225 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24226 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24229 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24230 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24231 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24233 @item gnus-news-group-p
24234 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24235 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24237 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24238 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24239 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24241 @item gnus-server-to-method
24242 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24243 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24245 @item gnus-server-equal
24246 @findex gnus-server-equal
24247 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24249 @item gnus-group-native-p
24250 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24251 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24253 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24254 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24255 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24257 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24258 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24259 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24261 @item group-group-find-parameter
24262 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24263 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24264 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24266 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24267 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24268 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24270 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24271 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24272 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24274 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24275 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24276 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24277 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24280 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24284 @item gnus-read-method
24285 @findex gnus-read-method
24286 Prompts the user for a select method.
24291 @node Back End Interface
24292 @subsection Back End Interface
24294 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24295 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24296 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24297 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24298 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24299 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24301 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24302 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24303 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24304 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24305 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24306 been opened, the function should fail.
24308 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24309 name. Take this example:
24313 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24314 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24317 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24318 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24320 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24321 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24322 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24324 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24325 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24326 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24328 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24329 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24330 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24331 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24332 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24333 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24336 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24337 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24338 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24339 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24342 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24343 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24344 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24345 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24346 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24347 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24348 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24349 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24350 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24351 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24353 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24354 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24355 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24356 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24357 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24358 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24359 of numbers as long as possible.
24361 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24362 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24363 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24365 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24368 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24371 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24372 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24373 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24374 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24375 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24376 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24380 @node Required Back End Functions
24381 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24385 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24387 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24388 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24389 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24390 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24392 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24393 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24394 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24395 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24397 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24398 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24399 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24400 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24401 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24402 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24403 number, do maximum fetches.
24405 Here's an example HEAD:
24408 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24409 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24410 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24411 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24412 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24413 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24414 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24416 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24417 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24418 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24422 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24423 these in the data buffer.
24425 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24429 head = error / valid-head
24430 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24431 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24432 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24433 header = <text> eol
24436 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24437 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24441 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24442 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24443 field = <text except TAB>
24446 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24450 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24452 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24453 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24455 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24456 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24457 server. In fact, it should do so.
24459 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24460 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24463 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24465 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24466 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24469 There should be no data returned.
24472 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24474 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24475 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24476 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24477 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24479 There should be no data returned.
24482 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24484 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24485 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24486 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24487 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24489 There should be no data returned.
24492 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24494 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24496 There should be no data returned.
24499 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24501 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24502 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24503 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24504 it would be nice if that were possible.
24506 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24507 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24508 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24509 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24510 into its article buffer.
24512 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24513 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24514 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24515 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24516 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24517 on successful article retrieval.
24520 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24522 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24523 making @var{group} the current group.
24525 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24528 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24531 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24534 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24535 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24536 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24537 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24538 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24539 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24540 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24541 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24542 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24546 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24547 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24548 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24552 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24554 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24555 a no-op on most back ends.
24557 There should be no data returned.
24560 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24562 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24565 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24568 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24569 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24572 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24573 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24574 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24575 and the highest as 0.
24578 active-file = *active-line
24579 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24581 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24584 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24585 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24586 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24589 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24591 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24592 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24593 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24594 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24595 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24596 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24598 There should be no result data from this function.
24603 @node Optional Back End Functions
24604 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24608 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24610 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24611 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24612 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24614 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24615 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24616 former is in the same format as the data from
24617 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24618 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24621 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24625 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24627 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24628 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24629 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24630 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24631 should return a non-nil value.
24633 There should be no result data from this function.
24636 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24638 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24639 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24640 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24641 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24642 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24643 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24644 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24645 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24647 There should be no result data from this function.
24650 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24652 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24653 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24654 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24655 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24656 propagate the mark information to the server.
24658 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24661 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24664 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
24665 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
24666 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
24667 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
24668 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24669 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24670 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24671 possible, not limit itself to these.
24673 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24674 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24675 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24676 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24678 An example action list:
24681 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24682 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24683 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24686 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24687 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24689 There should be no result data from this function.
24691 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24693 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24694 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24695 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24696 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24697 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24699 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24700 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24701 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24704 There should be no result data from this function.
24707 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24709 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24710 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24711 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24712 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24713 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24714 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24715 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24717 There should be no result data from this function.
24720 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24722 The result data from this function should be a description of
24726 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24728 description = <text>
24731 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24733 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24734 groups available on the server.
24737 description-buffer = *description-line
24741 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24743 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24744 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24745 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24746 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24747 in the active buffer format.
24749 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24750 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24751 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24752 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24753 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24754 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24755 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24758 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24760 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24762 There should be no return data.
24765 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
24767 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
24768 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
24769 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
24770 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
24771 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
24774 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
24777 There should be no result data returned.
24780 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
24783 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
24784 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
24786 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
24787 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
24788 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
24789 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
24790 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
24791 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
24793 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
24794 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
24797 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24798 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24800 There should be no data returned.
24803 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
24805 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
24806 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
24807 this function in short order.
24809 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24810 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24812 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
24813 article for that group.
24815 There should be no data returned.
24818 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
24820 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
24821 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
24823 There should be no data returned.
24826 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
24828 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
24829 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
24830 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
24832 There should be no data returned.
24835 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
24837 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
24838 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
24840 There should be no data returned.
24845 @node Error Messaging
24846 @subsubsection Error Messaging
24848 @findex nnheader-report
24849 @findex nnheader-get-report
24850 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
24851 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
24852 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
24853 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
24854 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
24855 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
24858 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
24860 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
24863 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
24864 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
24865 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
24866 takes one argument---the server symbol.
24868 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
24869 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
24870 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
24873 @node Writing New Back Ends
24874 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
24876 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
24877 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
24878 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
24879 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
24880 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
24883 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
24884 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
24885 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
24887 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
24888 package called @code{nnoo}.
24890 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
24891 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
24897 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
24898 parameters. For instance:
24901 (nnoo-declare nndir
24905 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
24906 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
24909 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
24910 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
24911 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
24913 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
24914 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
24915 a function in those back ends.
24918 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24919 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24920 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24923 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
24924 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
24925 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
24927 @item nnoo-define-basics
24928 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
24932 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24936 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
24937 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
24938 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
24940 @item nnoo-map-functions
24941 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
24942 functions from the parent back ends.
24945 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24946 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24947 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
24950 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
24951 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
24952 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
24953 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
24956 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
24957 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
24958 haven't already been defined.
24964 nnmh-request-newgroups)
24968 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
24969 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
24970 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
24975 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
24978 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
24979 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
24983 (require 'nnheader)
24987 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
24989 (nnoo-declare nndir
24992 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24993 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24994 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24996 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
24997 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25000 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25002 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25003 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25004 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25006 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25007 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25009 ;;; Interface functions.
25011 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25013 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25014 (setq nndir-directory
25015 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25017 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25018 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25019 (push `(nndir-current-group
25020 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25021 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25023 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25024 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25026 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25028 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25029 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25030 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25031 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25032 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25036 nnmh-status-message
25038 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25044 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25045 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25047 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25048 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25049 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25050 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25051 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25053 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25054 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25059 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25062 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25064 The abilities can be:
25068 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25070 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25072 This back end supports both mail and news.
25074 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25077 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25078 articles and groups.
25080 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25081 true for almost all back ends.
25082 @item prompt-address
25083 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25084 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25085 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25089 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25090 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25092 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25093 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25094 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25095 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25098 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25099 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25100 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25103 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25104 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25107 This function takes four parameters.
25111 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25114 @item exit-function
25115 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25117 @item temp-directory
25118 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25121 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25122 performed for one group only.
25125 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25126 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25127 find the article number assigned to this article.
25129 The function also uses the following variables:
25130 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25131 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25132 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25133 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25137 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25138 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25142 @node Score File Syntax
25143 @subsection Score File Syntax
25145 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25146 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25147 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25149 Here's a typical score file:
25153 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25160 BNF definition of a score file:
25163 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25164 element = rule / atom
25165 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25166 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25167 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25168 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25170 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25171 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25172 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25173 date-header = "date"
25174 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25175 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25176 score = "nil" / <integer>
25177 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25178 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25179 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25180 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25181 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25182 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25183 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25184 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25185 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25186 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25187 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25188 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25189 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25190 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25191 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25192 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25193 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25194 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25195 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25196 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25197 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25198 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25199 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25200 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25201 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25202 eval = "eval" space <form>
25203 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25206 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25209 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25210 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25211 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25212 one looong line, then that's ok.
25214 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25215 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25219 @subsection Headers
25221 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25222 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25223 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25224 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25226 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25227 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25228 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25229 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25230 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25231 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25232 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25234 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25235 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25236 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25237 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25238 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25240 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25241 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25247 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25248 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25250 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25251 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25252 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25253 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25255 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25259 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25262 is transformed into
25265 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25268 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25269 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25272 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25275 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25276 is slightly tricky:
25279 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25285 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25288 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25294 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25301 and is equal to the previous range.
25303 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25304 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25305 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25309 range = simple-range / normal-range
25310 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25311 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25312 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25313 number *[ " " contents ]
25316 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25317 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25318 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25319 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25320 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25325 @subsection Group Info
25327 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25328 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25329 describes the group.
25331 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25332 second is a more complex one:
25335 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25337 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25338 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25340 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25343 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25344 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25345 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25346 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25347 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25348 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25349 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25350 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25351 this section is about.
25353 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25354 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25355 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25357 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25360 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25361 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25362 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25363 group = quote <string> quote
25364 ralevel = rank / level
25365 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25366 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25367 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25369 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25370 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25371 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25372 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25375 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25376 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25379 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25380 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25383 @item gnus-info-group
25384 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25385 @findex gnus-info-group
25386 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25387 Get/set the group name.
25389 @item gnus-info-rank
25390 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25391 @findex gnus-info-rank
25392 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25393 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25395 @item gnus-info-level
25396 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25397 @findex gnus-info-level
25398 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25399 Get/set the group level.
25401 @item gnus-info-score
25402 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25403 @findex gnus-info-score
25404 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25405 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25407 @item gnus-info-read
25408 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25409 @findex gnus-info-read
25410 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25411 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25413 @item gnus-info-marks
25414 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25415 @findex gnus-info-marks
25416 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25417 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25419 @item gnus-info-method
25420 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25421 @findex gnus-info-method
25422 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25423 Get/set the group select method.
25425 @item gnus-info-params
25426 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25427 @findex gnus-info-params
25428 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25429 Get/set the group parameters.
25432 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25433 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25435 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25436 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25437 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25438 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25441 @node Extended Interactive
25442 @subsection Extended Interactive
25443 @cindex interactive
25444 @findex gnus-interactive
25446 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25447 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25448 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25451 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25452 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25457 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25458 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25459 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25460 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25461 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25462 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25463 @code{interactive}.
25465 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25470 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25471 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25475 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25476 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25477 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25480 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25484 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25488 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25494 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25495 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25499 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25500 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25501 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25503 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25504 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25505 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25506 Gnus, that's very useful.
25508 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25509 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25510 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25511 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25512 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25513 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25514 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25515 following function:
25518 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25522 (,function ,@@args))
25526 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25527 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25528 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25531 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25532 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25533 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25535 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25536 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25537 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25540 @node Various File Formats
25541 @subsection Various File Formats
25544 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25545 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25549 @node Active File Format
25550 @subsubsection Active File Format
25552 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25553 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25556 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25559 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25560 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25561 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25562 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25563 no.general 1000 900 y
25566 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25569 active = *group-line
25570 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25571 group = <non-white-space string>
25573 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25574 low-number = <positive integer>
25575 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25578 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25579 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25582 @node Newsgroups File Format
25583 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25585 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25586 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25587 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25590 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25591 Here's the definition:
25595 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25596 group = <non-white-space string>
25598 description = <string>
25603 @node Emacs for Heathens
25604 @section Emacs for Heathens
25606 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25607 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25608 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25609 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25610 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25611 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25612 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25616 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25617 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25622 @subsection Keystrokes
25626 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25629 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25632 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25633 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25634 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25635 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25636 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25637 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25639 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25640 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25641 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25642 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25643 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25644 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25645 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25647 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25648 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25649 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25650 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25651 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25652 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25653 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25655 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25656 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25657 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25658 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25659 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25665 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25667 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25668 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25669 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25670 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25672 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25673 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25674 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25675 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25676 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25677 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25678 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25681 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25682 write the following:
25685 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25688 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25689 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25690 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25693 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
25694 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25695 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25696 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25697 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25699 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25700 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25701 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25705 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25709 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25712 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25713 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25716 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25719 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25720 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25723 @include gnus-faq.texi
25743 @c Local Variables:
25745 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25747 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25748 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25749 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25750 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25751 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref