\input texinfo
+@include gnus-overrides.texi
+
@setfilename gnus
@settitle Gnus Manual
@syncodeindex fn cp
@documentencoding ISO-8859-1
@copying
-Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,
-2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright @copyright{} 1995-2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
\begin{document}
% Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
-\newcommand{\gnusversionname}{No Gnus v0.11}
+\newcommand{\gnusversionname}{No Gnus v0.16}
\newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
\newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
@end iflatex
@end iftex
-@dircategory Emacs
+@dircategory Emacs network features
@direntry
* Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
@end direntry
@titlepage
+@ifset WEBHACKDEVEL
+@title Gnus Manual (DEVELOPMENT VERSION)
+@end ifset
+@ifclear WEBHACKDEVEL
@title Gnus Manual
+@end ifclear
@author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
@page
luck.
@c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
-This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
+This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.16
@ifnottex
@insertcopying
the program.
@c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
-This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.11.
+This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.16
@heading Other related manuals
@itemize
* Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
* Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
* Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
+* Searching:: Mail and News search engines.
* Various:: General purpose settings.
* The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
* Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
Starting Gnus
* Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
-* The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
* The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
* Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
* Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
* Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
* Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
+* Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
* Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
* Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
-* IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
* Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
* Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
* Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
* RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
* Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
-@acronym{IMAP}
-
-* Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
-* Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
-* Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
-* Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
-* A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
-* Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
-
Other Sources
* Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
* Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
* Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
* Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
+* The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
Document Groups
* Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
* Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
+Searching
+
+* nnir:: Searching with various engines.
+* nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
+
+nnir
+
+* What is nnir?:: What does nnir do.
+* Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
+* Setting up nnir:: How to set up nnir.
+
+Setting up nnir
+
+* Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
+
Various
* Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
* Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
* Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
* Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
-* Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
* Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
-* NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
* Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
* Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
* Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
* Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
meant to be shown.
* Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
+* Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
* XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
Thwarting Email Spam
@menu
* Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
-* The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
* The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
* Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
* New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
-@vindex gnus-nntp-server
-If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
-@code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
-@code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
-
-@vindex gnus-secondary-servers
-@vindex gnus-nntp-server
-You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
-@acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
-(i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
-in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
-type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
-will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
-gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
-server.)
-
@findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
@kindex B (Group)
However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
-@node The First Time
-@section The First Time
-@cindex first time usage
-
-If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
-determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
-
-@vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
-If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
-will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
-killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
-something useful.
-
-Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
-picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
-here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
-
-You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
-help you with most common problems.
-
-If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
-use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
-special.
-
-
@node The Server is Down
@section The Server is Down
@cindex server errors
more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
-@code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
-subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
-@code{nil}.
-
-New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
+@code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, @code{nnimap}, and
+@code{nnmaildir}) subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this
+variable to @code{nil}.
+
+@vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-categories
+As if that wasn't enough, @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-categories} also
+allows you to specify that new groups should be subcribed based on the
+category their select methods belong to. The default is @samp{(mail
+post-mail)}, meaning that all new groups from mail-like backends
+should be subscribed automatically.
+
+New groups that match these variables are subscribed using
@code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
@vindex gnus-no-groups-message
Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
-@item gnus-play-startup-jingle
-@vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
-If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
-
-@item gnus-startup-jingle
-@vindex gnus-startup-jingle
-Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
-default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
-
@item gnus-use-backend-marks
@vindex gnus-use-backend-marks
If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will store article marks both in the
* Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
* Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
* Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
-* Searching:: Mail search engines.
* Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
@end menu
@section Subscription Commands
@cindex subscription
+The following commands allow for managing your subscriptions in the
+Group buffer. If you want to subscribe to many groups, it's probably
+more convenient to go to the @ref{Server Buffer}, and choose the
+server there using @kbd{RET} or @kbd{SPC}. Then you'll have the
+commands listed in @ref{Browse Foreign Server} at hand.
+
@table @kbd
@item S t
All groups with a level less than or equal to
@code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
by default.
+This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
+be called and the result will be used as value.
+
@vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
@section Foreign Groups
@cindex foreign groups
+If you recall how to subscribe to servers (@pxref{Finding the News})
+you will remember that @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} and
+@code{gnus-select-method} let you write a definition in Emacs Lisp of
+what servers you want to see when you start up. The alternate
+approach is to use foreign servers and groups. ``Foreign'' here means
+they are not coming from the select methods. All foreign server
+configuration and subscriptions are stored only in the
+@file{~/.newsrc.eld} file.
+
Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
@item (agent parameters)
-If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
-to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
+If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of its parameters to
+control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
minimize the configuration effort.
@item u
@kindex u (Browse)
@findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
+@vindex gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method
Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
-subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
+subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}). You
+can affect the way the new group is entered into the Group buffer
+using the variable @code{gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method}. See
+@pxref{Subscription Methods} for available options.
@item l
@itemx q
header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
-@node Searching
-@section Searching
+@node Misc Group Stuff
+@section Misc Group Stuff
@menu
-* nnir:: Searching on IMAP, with swish, namazu, etc.
-* nnmairix:: Searching maildir, MH or mbox with Mairix.
+* Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
+* Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
+* Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
+* File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
+* Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
@end menu
-@cindex Searching
+@table @kbd
-FIXME: This node is a stub.
+@item v
+@kindex v (Group)
+@cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
+The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
+command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
-FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
-comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
-as well.
+@lisp
+(define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
+ (lambda ()
+ (interactive)
+ (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
+@end lisp
-FIXME: Explain difference to @ref{Searching for Articles}, add reference
-and back-reference.
+On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
+@xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
-@node nnir
-@subsection nnir
+@item ^
+@kindex ^ (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
+Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
+@xref{Server Buffer}.
-FIXME: As a first step, convert the commentary of @file{nnir} to texi.
-@cindex nnir
+@item a
+@kindex a (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-post-news
+Start composing a message (a news by default)
+(@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
+under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
+Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
+article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
+with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
-@node nnmairix
-@subsection nnmairix
+@item m
+@kindex m (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-mail
+Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
+use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
+prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
+@xref{Composing Messages}.
-@cindex mairix
-@cindex nnmairix
-This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
-@code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
-Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
-bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
+@item i
+@kindex i (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-news
+Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
+post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
+for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
-@menu
-* About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
-* nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
-* What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
-* Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
-* Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
-* nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
-* Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
-* nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
-* nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
-@end menu
+This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
+This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
+sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
+in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
+for this to work though.
-@c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
-@c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
-@c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
+@item G z
+@kindex G z (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-compact-group
-@node About mairix
-@subsubsection About mairix
+Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
+Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
+gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
+count.
-Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
-mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
-GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
-runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
-be found at
-@uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
+@end table
-Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
-swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
-has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
-can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
-thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
-necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
-done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
-therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
-up.
+Variables for the group buffer:
-For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
-@code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
-end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
-results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
-which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
-made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
-mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
-for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
-searches.
+@table @code
-@node nnmairix requirements
-@subsubsection nnmairix requirements
+@item gnus-group-mode-hook
+@vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
+is called after the group buffer has been
+created.
-Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
-direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
-server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
-access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
+@item gnus-group-prepare-hook
+@vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
+is called after the group buffer is
+generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
+unnatural way.
-Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
-ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
-one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
-@code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
+@item gnus-group-prepared-hook
+@vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
+is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
+generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
-If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
-you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
-@code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
-files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
-really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
-the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
+@item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
+@vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
+Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
+whether they are empty or not.
-@node What nnmairix does
-@subsubsection What nnmairix does
+@end table
-The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
-either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
-database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
-several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
-search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
-display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
-mails are in different folders.
+@node Scanning New Messages
+@subsection Scanning New Messages
+@cindex new messages
+@cindex scanning new news
-Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
-to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
-containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
-even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
-new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
-automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
+@table @kbd
-You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
-creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
-then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
-does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
-strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
-claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
-the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
-its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
-use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
-about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
-group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
+@item g
+@kindex g (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-get-new-news
+@c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
+Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
+this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
+(@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
+command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
+back end(s).
-@code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
-a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
-the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
-different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
-@code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
-binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
-@code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
-present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
-You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
-but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
-groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
-@code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
-make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
-(@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
-mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
-folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
+@item M-g
+@kindex M-g (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
+@vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
+@c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
+Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
+(@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
+@code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
+to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
-@node Setting up mairix
-@subsubsection Setting up mairix
+@findex gnus-activate-all-groups
+@cindex activating groups
+@item C-c M-g
+@kindex C-c M-g (Group)
+Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
-First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
+@item R
+@kindex R (Group)
+@cindex restarting
+@findex gnus-group-restart
+Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
+file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
+Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
-Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
-(at least) the following entries:
+@end table
-@example
-# Your Maildir/MH base folder
-base=~/Maildir
-@end example
+@vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
+@code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
-This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
-are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
-with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
-directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
+@vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
+@code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
+news.
-@example
-maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
-mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
-mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
-@end example
-This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
-base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
-@code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
-directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
-section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
+@node Group Information
+@subsection Group Information
+@cindex group information
+@cindex information on groups
-@example
-omit=zz_mairix-*
-@end example
+@table @kbd
-@vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
-This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
-search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
-variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
-@example
-mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
-database= ... location of database file ...
-@end example
+@item H f
+@kindex H f (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
+@vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
+@cindex FAQ
+@cindex ange-ftp
+Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
+(@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
+from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
+a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
+In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
+between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
+used for fetching the file.
-The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
-search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
-with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
+If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
+through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
-To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
+@item H d
+@itemx C-c C-d
+@c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
+@kindex H d (Group)
+@kindex C-c C-d (Group)
+@cindex describing groups
+@cindex group description
+@findex gnus-group-describe-group
+Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
+a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
-@example
-base=~/Maildir
-maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
-mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
-mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
-mformat=maildir
-omit=zz_mairix-*
-database=~/.mairixdatabase
-@end example
+@item M-d
+@kindex M-d (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
+Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
+prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
-In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
-folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
-colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
-because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
-@code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
-@code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
-to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
-notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
-to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
-dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
-old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
-The other lines should be obvious.
+@item H v
+@itemx V
+@kindex V (Group)
+@kindex H v (Group)
+@cindex version
+@findex gnus-version
+Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
-See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
-especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
-than you are used to.
+@item ?
+@kindex ? (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
+Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
-Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
-Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
-the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
+@item C-c C-i
+@kindex C-c C-i (Group)
+@cindex info
+@cindex manual
+@findex gnus-info-find-node
+Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
+@end table
-@node Configuring nnmairix
-@subsubsection Configuring nnmairix
-In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
-(@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
-necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
-server. You will have to specify the following:
+@node Group Timestamp
+@subsection Group Timestamp
+@cindex timestamps
+@cindex group timestamps
-@itemize @bullet
+It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
+group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
+@code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
-@item
-The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
-want.
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
+@end lisp
-@item
-The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
-searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
-Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
-which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
-@code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
-mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
-However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
-server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
-(@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
-just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
-@code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might loose mail
-(@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
-@acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
-@code{nnimap} server here.
+After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
-@item
-@vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
-The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
-be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
-SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
-@acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
-mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
-@code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
+This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
+use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
-@item
-The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
-where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
-are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
-like.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
+ "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
+@end lisp
-@item
-If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
-asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
-folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
-@samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
-server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
+This will result in lines looking like:
-@end itemize
+@example
+* 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
+ 0: custom 19961002T012713
+@end example
-@node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
-@subsubsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
+As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
+may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
+something like:
-In group mode:
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
+ "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
+@end lisp
-@table @kbd
+If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
+user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
+trick:
-@item G b c
-@kindex G b c (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
-Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
-(@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
-this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
+ "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
+(defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
+ (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
+ (if time
+ (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
+ "")))
+@end lisp
-@item G b s
-@kindex G b s (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-search
-Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
-results are put into the default search group which is automatically
-displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
-@item G b m
-@kindex G b m (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-widget-search
-Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
-comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
-group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
+@node File Commands
+@subsection File Commands
+@cindex file commands
-@item G b i
-@kindex G b i (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-search-interactive
-Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
-only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
+@table @kbd
-@item G b g
-@kindex G b g (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-create-search-group
-Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
-(@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
-automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
-@kbd{M-g}.
+@item r
+@kindex r (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-read-init-file
+@vindex gnus-init-file
+@cindex reading init file
+Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
+@file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
-@item G b q
-@kindex G b q (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
-Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
-(@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
+@item s
+@kindex s (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
+@cindex saving .newsrc
+Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
+(@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
+file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
-@item G b t
-@kindex G b t (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
-Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
-i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
-(@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
+@c @item Z
+@c @kindex Z (Group)
+@c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
+@c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
-@item G b u
-@kindex G b u (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-update-database
-@vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
-Calls mairix binary for updating the database
-(@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
-and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
-@code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
-options).
+@end table
-@item G b r
-@kindex G b r (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
-Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
-marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
-@item G b d
-@kindex G b d (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
-Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
-(@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
-you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
+@node Sieve Commands
+@subsection Sieve Commands
+@cindex group sieve commands
-@item G b a
-@kindex G b a (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
-Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
-(@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
-behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
-update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
-mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
-upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
-lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
-entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
+Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
+the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
+sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
+commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
+script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
-@item G b p
-@kindex G b p (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
-Toggle marks propagation for this group
-(@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
-marks}).
+@vindex gnus-sieve-file
+@vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
+@vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
+The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
+default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
+between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
+@code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
+outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
+regenerate the Sieve script.
-@item G b o
-@kindex G b o (Group)
-@findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
-Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
-@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
+@vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
+The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
+is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
+placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
+is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
+example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
+"owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
+code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
+@code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
+except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
-@end table
+@example
+if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
+ fileinto "INBOX.ding";
+ stop;
+@}
+@end example
-In summary mode:
+@xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
@table @kbd
-@item $ m
-@kindex $ m (Summary)
-@findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
-Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
-message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
-(@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
+@item D g
+@kindex D g (Group)
+@findex gnus-sieve-generate
+@vindex gnus-sieve-file
+@cindex generating sieve script
+Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
+put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
-@item $ g
-@kindex $ g (Summary)
-@findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
-Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
-message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
-(@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
+@item D u
+@kindex D u (Group)
+@findex gnus-sieve-update
+@vindex gnus-sieve-file
+@cindex updating sieve script
+Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
+@code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
+server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
-@item $ t
-@kindex $ t (Summary)
-@findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
-Searches thread for the current article
-(@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
-shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
-current article and enabled threads.
+@end table
-@item $ f
-@kindex $ f (Summary)
-@findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
-Searches all messages from sender of the current article
-(@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
-calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
-@item $ o
-@kindex $ o (Summary)
-@findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
-(Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
-originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
-e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
-parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
-function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
-article file name as a fallback method.
+@node Summary Buffer
+@chapter Summary Buffer
+@cindex summary buffer
-@item $ u
-@kindex $ u (Summary)
-@findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
-Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
-(@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
-tips and tricks}).
+A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
+move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
-@end table
+The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
+group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
-@node Propagating marks
-@subsubsection Propagating marks
+You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
-First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
-propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
-the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
+You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
+customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
+available in Emacs.
-@uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
+@kindex v (Summary)
+@cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
+The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
+command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
+@lisp
+(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
+@end lisp
-You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
-is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
-marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
-fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
-be useful to you.
+@menu
+* Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
+* Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
+* Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
+* Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
+* Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
+* Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
+* Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
+* Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
+* Threading:: How threads are made.
+* Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
+* Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
+* Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
+* Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
+* Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
+* Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
+* Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
+* Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
+* Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
+* MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
+* Charsets:: Character set issues.
+* Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
+* Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
+* Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
+* Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
+* Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
+* Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
+* Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
+* Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
+ or reselecting the current group.
+* Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
+* Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
+* Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
+* Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
+@end menu
-With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
-alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
-example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
-into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
-@samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
-all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
-create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
-can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
-implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
-groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
-There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
-@samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
-``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
-search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
-enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
-marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
-mail group it will be still shown as unread.
+@node Summary Buffer Format
+@section Summary Buffer Format
+@cindex summary buffer format
-You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
-tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
-created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
-@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
-shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
-even more cumbersome.
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
+\put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
+\put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
+}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
-Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
-automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
-@emph{marks propagation} is about.
-
-Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
-certain @code{nnmairix} group with
-@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
-p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
-search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
-temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
-this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
-
-With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
-group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
-you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
-magically be set for the original article, too.
-
-A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
-
-@vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
-Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
-not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
-dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
-will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
-via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
-details).
-
-Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
-article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
-the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
-fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
-marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
-set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
-the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
-
-@vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
-If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
-original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
-search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
-way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
-marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
-setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
-
-Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
-tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
-article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
-reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
-immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
-@code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
-not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
-groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
-maildir as its file format.
-
-@vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
-If you work with this setup, just set
-@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
-happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
-problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
-usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
-groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
-back end using @kbd{G b d}.
-
-@node nnmairix tips and tricks
-@subsubsection nnmairix tips and tricks
-
-@itemize
-@item
-Checking Mail
-
-@findex nnmairix-update-groups
-I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
-have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
-Levels}).
-
-I use the following to check for mails:
-
-@lisp
-(defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
- (interactive "P")
- ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
- (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
- (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
- (gnus-group-list-groups))
-
-(define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
-@end lisp
-
-Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
-server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
-details.
-
-@item
-Example: search group for ticked articles
-
-For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
-articles always stay unread:
-
-Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
-@samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
-
-Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
-activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
-
-So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
-group? There are two options: You may simply use
-@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
-tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
-@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
-comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
-also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
-e.g. by marking an article as read.
-
-When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
-article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
-mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
-for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
-snippet and the doc string for details.
-
-@item
-Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
-
-As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
-the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
-see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
-should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
-usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
-@code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
-@samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
-simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
-auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
-@code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
-Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
-for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
-
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
- "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
-@end lisp
-
-@end itemize
-
-@node nnmairix caveats
-@subsubsection nnmairix caveats
-
-@itemize
-@item
-You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
-you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
-@code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
-put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
-an example server definition:
-
-@lisp
-(nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
-@end lisp
-
-(The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
-@code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
-have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
-mairix.)
-
-@item
-If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
-@code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
-@code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}). Be @emph{extra careful} if
-you use @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are
-split into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as
-you check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
-
-@item
-Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
-groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
-
-@item
-If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
-@code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
-
-@item
-mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
-
-@item
-@code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
-completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
-called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
-back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
-don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
-own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
-folders.
-
-@item
-All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
-(@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
-is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
-it is gone for good.
-
-@item
-@findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
-If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
-``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
-delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
-@code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
-save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
-@code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
-@code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
-@code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
-
-@item
-The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
-for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
-
-A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
-comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
-@samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
-file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
-update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
-mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
-while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
-@samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
-after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
-non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
-``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
-to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
-
-@end itemize
-
-@node Misc Group Stuff
-@section Misc Group Stuff
-
-@menu
-* Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
-* Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
-* Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
-* File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
-* Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
-@end menu
-
-@table @kbd
-
-@item v
-@kindex v (Group)
-@cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
-The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
-command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
-
-@lisp
-(define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
- (lambda ()
- (interactive)
- (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
-@end lisp
-
-On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
-@xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
-
-@item ^
-@kindex ^ (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
-Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
-@xref{Server Buffer}.
-
-@item a
-@kindex a (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-post-news
-Start composing a message (a news by default)
-(@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
-under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
-Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
-article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
-with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
-
-@item m
-@kindex m (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-mail
-Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
-use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
-prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
-@xref{Composing Messages}.
-
-@item i
-@kindex i (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-news
-Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
-post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
-for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
-
-This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
-This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
-sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
-in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
-for this to work though.
-
-@item G z
-@kindex G z (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-compact-group
-
-Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
-Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
-gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
-count.
-
-@end table
-
-Variables for the group buffer:
-
-@table @code
-
-@item gnus-group-mode-hook
-@vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
-is called after the group buffer has been
-created.
-
-@item gnus-group-prepare-hook
-@vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
-is called after the group buffer is
-generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
-unnatural way.
-
-@item gnus-group-prepared-hook
-@vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
-is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
-generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
-
-@item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
-@vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
-Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
-whether they are empty or not.
-
-@end table
-
-@node Scanning New Messages
-@subsection Scanning New Messages
-@cindex new messages
-@cindex scanning new news
-
-@table @kbd
-
-@item g
-@kindex g (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-get-new-news
-@c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
-Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
-this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
-(@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
-command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
-back end(s).
-
-@item M-g
-@kindex M-g (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
-@vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
-@c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
-Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
-(@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
-@code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
-to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
-
-@findex gnus-activate-all-groups
-@cindex activating groups
-@item C-c M-g
-@kindex C-c M-g (Group)
-Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
-
-@item R
-@kindex R (Group)
-@cindex restarting
-@findex gnus-group-restart
-Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
-file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
-Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
-
-@end table
-
-@vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
-@code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
-
-@vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
-@code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
-news.
-
-
-@node Group Information
-@subsection Group Information
-@cindex group information
-@cindex information on groups
-
-@table @kbd
-
-
-@item H f
-@kindex H f (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
-@vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
-@cindex FAQ
-@cindex ange-ftp
-Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
-(@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
-from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
-a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
-In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
-between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
-used for fetching the file.
-
-If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
-through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
-
-@item H C
-@kindex H C (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-fetch-control
-@vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
-@cindex control message
-Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
-@code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
-group if given a prefix argument.
-
-If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
-Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
-@code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
-and displayed in an ephemeral group.
-
-Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
-you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
-Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
-
-@item H d
-@itemx C-c C-d
-@c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
-@kindex H d (Group)
-@kindex C-c C-d (Group)
-@cindex describing groups
-@cindex group description
-@findex gnus-group-describe-group
-Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
-a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
-
-@item M-d
-@kindex M-d (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
-Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
-prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
-
-@item H v
-@itemx V
-@kindex V (Group)
-@kindex H v (Group)
-@cindex version
-@findex gnus-version
-Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
-
-@item ?
-@kindex ? (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
-Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
-
-@item C-c C-i
-@kindex C-c C-i (Group)
-@cindex info
-@cindex manual
-@findex gnus-info-find-node
-Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
-@end table
-
-
-@node Group Timestamp
-@subsection Group Timestamp
-@cindex timestamps
-@cindex group timestamps
-
-It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
-group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
-@code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
-
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
-@end lisp
-
-After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
-
-This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
-use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
-
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-group-line-format
- "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
-@end lisp
-
-This will result in lines looking like:
-
-@example
-* 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
- 0: custom 19961002T012713
-@end example
-
-As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
-may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
-something like:
-
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-group-line-format
- "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
-@end lisp
-
-If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
-user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
-trick:
-
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-group-line-format
- "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
-(defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
- (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
- (if time
- (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
- "")))
-@end lisp
-
-
-@node File Commands
-@subsection File Commands
-@cindex file commands
-
-@table @kbd
-
-@item r
-@kindex r (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-read-init-file
-@vindex gnus-init-file
-@cindex reading init file
-Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
-@file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
-
-@item s
-@kindex s (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
-@cindex saving .newsrc
-Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
-(@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
-file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
-
-@c @item Z
-@c @kindex Z (Group)
-@c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
-@c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
-
-@end table
-
-
-@node Sieve Commands
-@subsection Sieve Commands
-@cindex group sieve commands
-
-Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
-the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
-sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
-commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
-script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
-
-@vindex gnus-sieve-file
-@vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
-@vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
-The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
-default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
-between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
-@code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
-outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
-regenerate the Sieve script.
-
-@vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
-The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
-is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
-placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
-is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
-example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
-"owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
-code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
-@code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
-except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
-
-@example
-if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
- fileinto "INBOX.ding";
- stop;
-@}
-@end example
-
-@xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
-
-@table @kbd
-
-@item D g
-@kindex D g (Group)
-@findex gnus-sieve-generate
-@vindex gnus-sieve-file
-@cindex generating sieve script
-Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
-put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
-
-@item D u
-@kindex D u (Group)
-@findex gnus-sieve-update
-@vindex gnus-sieve-file
-@cindex updating sieve script
-Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
-@code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
-server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
-
-@end table
-
-
-@node Summary Buffer
-@chapter Summary Buffer
-@cindex summary buffer
-
-A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
-move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
-
-The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
-group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
-
-You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
-
-You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
-customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
-available in Emacs.
-
-@kindex v (Summary)
-@cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
-The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
-command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
-@lisp
-(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
-@end lisp
-
-@menu
-* Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
-* Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
-* Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
-* Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
-* Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
-* Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
-* Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
-* Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
-* Threading:: How threads are made.
-* Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
-* Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
-* Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
-* Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
-* Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
-* Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
-* Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
-* Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
-* Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
-* MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
-* Charsets:: Character set issues.
-* Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
-* Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
-* Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
-* Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
-* Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
-* Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
-* Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
-* Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
- or reselecting the current group.
-* Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
-* Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
-* Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
-* Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
-@end menu
-
-
-@node Summary Buffer Format
-@section Summary Buffer Format
-@cindex summary buffer format
-
-@iftex
-@iflatex
-\gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
-\put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
-\put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
-}
-@end iflatex
-@end iftex
-
-@menu
-* Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
-* To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
-* Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
-* Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
-@end menu
+@menu
+* Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
+* To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
+* Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
+* Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
+@end menu
@findex mail-extract-address-components
@findex gnus-extract-address-components
Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
@item &user-date;
Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
-@code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
+@code{gnus-summary-user-date-format-alist}.
@item u
User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
be a letter. Gnus will call the function
@findex gnus-summary-show-article
@vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
(Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
-given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
-article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
-the way it came from the server.
+given a prefix, show a completely ``raw'' article, just the way it
+came from the server. If given a prefix twice (i.e., @kbd{C-u C-u
+g'}), fetch the current article, but don't run any of the article
+treatment functions.
@cindex charset, view article with different charset
If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
used.
+For instance:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-article-banner-alist
+ ((googleGroups .
+ "^\n*--~--~---------\\(.+\n\\)+")))
+@end lisp
+
Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
@code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
+@item W U
+@kindex W U (Summary)
+@findex gnus-article-treat-non-ascii
+@cindex Unicode
+@cindex Non-@acronym{ASCII}
+Translate many non-@acronym{ASCII} characters into their
+@acronym{ASCII} equivalents (@code{gnus-article-treat-non-ascii}).
+This is mostly useful if you're on a terminal that has a limited font
+and does't show accented characters, ``advanced'' punctuation, and the
+like. For instance, @samp{»} is tranlated into @samp{>>}, and so on.
+
@item W Y f
@kindex W Y f (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
(@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
-@vindex gnus-article-wash-function
The default is to use the function specified by
@code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
-@acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
-@code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
-can use include:
+@acronym{HTML}. Pre-defined functions you can use include:
@table @code
-@item gnus-article-html
+@item shr
+Use Gnus simple html renderer.
+
+@item gnus-w3m
Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
@item w3
An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
@code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
-@c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
-
-@item gnus-button-ctan-handler
-@findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
-The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
-argument, the string naming the URL.
-
-@item gnus-ctan-url
-@vindex gnus-ctan-url
-Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
-by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
-
@c Misc stuff
@item gnus-article-button-face
@code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
@code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
-@item gnus-button-tex-level
-@vindex gnus-button-tex-level
-Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
-URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
-@code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
-@code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
-@code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
-
@end table
(@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
@example
-X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
+Date: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
@end example
-@vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
-The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
-whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
-replace it.
-
-An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
-into wonderful absurdities.
+This line is updated continually by default. The frequency (in
+seconds) is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-update-date-headers}
+variable.
-If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
+If you wish to switch updating off, say:
+@vindex gnus-article-update-date-headers
@lisp
-(gnus-start-date-timer)
+(setq gnus-article-update-date-headers nil)
@end lisp
-in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
-you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
-command.
+in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
@item W T o
@kindex W T o (Summary)
@item A C
@vindex gnus-fetch-partial-articles
@findex gnus-summary-show-complete-article
-If @code{gnus-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
+If @code{<backend>-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
fetch partial articles, if the backend it fetches them from supports
it. Currently only @code{nnimap} does. If you're looking at a
partial article, and want to see the complete article instead, then
@code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
-group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
-not support this at all.
+group. @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
+Fortunately, the special @code{nnregistry} back end is able to locate
+articles in any groups, regardless of their back end (@pxref{Registry
+Article Refer Method, fetching by @code{Message-ID} using the
+registry}).
@node Alternative Approaches
@section Alternative Approaches
posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
-heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
-(@pxref{NoCeM}).
+heinous crime.
Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
-PGG Manual}), Mailcrypt, and gpg.el are also supported.
+PGG Manual}), and Mailcrypt are also supported.
@item
To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
@vindex mml1991-use
Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
@acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
-@code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported although
+and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported although
deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
this order.
@vindex mml2015-use
Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
@acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
-@code{pgg}, @code{mailcrypt}, and @code{gpg} are also supported
+@code{pgg}, and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported
although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
interface in this order.
@item mm-text-html-renderer
@vindex mm-text-html-renderer
If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
-that's based on @code{curl} and @code{w3m}.
+that's based on @code{w3m}.
@item gnus-blocked-images
@vindex gnus-blocked-images
-Images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't be
-fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s that
-have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
+External images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't
+be fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s
+that have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
@lisp
(setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
@end lisp
-The default is to block all external images.
+This can also be a function to be evaluated. If so, it will be
+called with the group name as the parameter. The default value is
+@code{gnus-block-private-groups}, which will return @samp{"."} for
+anything that isn't a newsgroup. This means that no external images
+will be fetched as a result of reading mail, so that nobody can use
+web bugs (and the like) to track whether you've read email.
+
+Also @pxref{Misc Article} for @code{gnus-inhibit-images}.
@item gnus-html-cache-directory
@vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
@vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
@vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
@vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
-@vindex gnus-treat-date-english
-@vindex gnus-treat-date-iso8601
-@vindex gnus-treat-date-lapsed
-@vindex gnus-treat-date-local
-@vindex gnus-treat-date-original
-@vindex gnus-treat-date-user-defined
-@vindex gnus-treat-date-ut
+@vindex gnus-treat-date
@vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
@vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
@vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
@xref{Article Washing}.
-@item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
-@item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
-@item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
-@item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
-@item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
-@item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
-@item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
+@item gnus-treat-date (head)
+
+This will transform/add date headers according to the
+@code{gnus-article-date-headers} variable. This is a list of Date
+headers to display. The formats available are:
+
+@table @code
+@item ut
+Universal time, aka GMT, aka ZULU.
+
+@item local
+The user's local time zone.
+
+@item english
+A semi-readable English sentence.
+
+@item lapsed
+The time elapsed since the message was posted.
+
+@item combined-lapsed
+Both the original date header and a (shortened) elapsed time.
+
+@item original
+The original date header.
+
+@item iso8601
+ISO8601 format, i.e., ``2010-11-23T22:05:21''.
+
+@item user-defined
+A format done according to the @code{gnus-article-time-format}
+variable.
+
+@end table
@xref{Article Date}.
(This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
article buffer.
+@item gnus-widen-article-window
+@cindex gnus-widen-article-window
+If non-@code{nil}, selecting the article buffer with the @kbd{h}
+command will ``widen'' the article window to take the entire frame.
+
@vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
@item gnus-article-decode-hook
@cindex @acronym{MIME}
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
+@vindex gnus-inhibit-images
+@item gnus-inhibit-images
+If this is non-@code{nil}, inhibit displaying of images inline in the
+article body. It is effective to images that are in articles as
+@acronym{MIME} parts, and images in @acronym{HTML} articles rendered
+when @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization,
+,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) is
+@code{shr} or @code{gnus-w3m}.
+
@end table
(concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
@end lisp
-@c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
-@c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
-
Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
-That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
-different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
-case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
-this will disable archiving.
-
@table @code
-@item gnus-outgoing-message-group
-@vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
-All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
-all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
-you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
-group names.
-
-If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
-message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
-current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
-of names).
-
-This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
-but the latter is the preferred method.
-
@item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
@vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
-The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
-zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
-will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
-will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
-message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
-are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
-is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
-references chars lines xref extra.
+The attribute value can be a string, a function with zero arguments
+(the return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used)
+or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be
+used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
+message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current
+article are available through the @code{message-reply-headers}
+variable, which is a vector of the following headers: number subject
+from date id references chars lines xref extra.
+
+In the case of a string value, if the @code{match} is a regular
+expression, a @samp{gnus-match-substitute-replacement} is proceed on
+the value to replace the positional parameters @samp{\@var{n}} by the
+corresponding parenthetical matches (see @xref{Replacing the Text that
+Matched, , Text Replacement, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.)
@vindex message-reply-headers
@menu
* Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
* Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
+* Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
* Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
* Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
-* IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
* Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
* Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
* Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
@findex gnus-server-edit-server
Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
+@item S
+@kindex S (Server)
+@findex gnus-server-show-server
+Show the definition of a server (@code{gnus-server-show-server}).
+
@item SPACE
@kindex SPACE (Server)
@findex gnus-server-read-server
@end table
+Some more commands for closing, disabling, and re-opening servers are
+listed in @ref{Unavailable Servers}.
+
@node Example Methods
@subsection Example Methods
Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
+@item nntp-server-list-active-group
+If @code{nil}, then always use @samp{GROUP} instead of @samp{LIST
+ACTIVE}. This is usually slower, but on misconfigured servers that
+don't update their active files often, this can help.
+
+
@end table
@menu
@findex nntp-open-network-stream
@item nntp-open-network-stream
This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
-remote system.
+remote system. If both Emacs and the server supports it, the
+connection will be upgraded to an encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS}
+connection automatically.
+
+@item network-only
+The same as the above, but don't do automatic @acronym{STARTTLS} upgrades.
@findex nntp-open-tls-stream
@item nntp-open-tls-stream
Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
@file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
-@item nnspool-lib-dir
-@vindex nnspool-lib-dir
-Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
+@item nnspool-lib-dir
+@vindex nnspool-lib-dir
+Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
+
+@item nnspool-active-file
+@vindex nnspool-active-file
+The name of the active file.
+
+@item nnspool-newsgroups-file
+@vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
+The name of the group descriptions file.
+
+@item nnspool-history-file
+@vindex nnspool-history-file
+The name of the news history file.
+
+@item nnspool-active-times-file
+@vindex nnspool-active-times-file
+The name of the active date file.
+
+@item nnspool-nov-is-evil
+@vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
+If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
+that it finds.
+
+@item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
+@vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
+@cindex sed
+If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
+relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
+@code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
+there.
+
+@end table
+
+
+@node Using IMAP
+@section Using IMAP
+@cindex imap
+
+The most popular mail backend is probably @code{nnimap}, which
+provides access to @acronym{IMAP} servers. @acronym{IMAP} servers
+store mail remotely, so the client doesn't store anything locally.
+This means that it's a convenient choice when you're reading your mail
+from different locations, or with different user agents.
+
+@menu
+* Connecting to an IMAP Server:: Getting started with @acronym{IMAP}.
+* Customizing the IMAP Connection:: Variables for @acronym{IMAP} connection.
+* Client-Side IMAP Splitting:: Put mail in the correct mail box.
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Connecting to an IMAP Server
+@subsection Connecting to an IMAP Server
+
+Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} can be very easy. Type @kbd{B} in the
+group buffer, or (if your primary interest is reading email), say
+something like:
+
+@example
+(setq gnus-select-method
+ '(nnimap "imap.gmail.com"))
+@end example
+
+You'll be prompted for a user name and password. If you grow tired of
+that, then add the following to your @file{~/.authinfo} file:
+
+@example
+machine imap.gmail.com login <username> password <password> port imap
+@end example
+
+That should basically be it for most users.
+
+
+@node Customizing the IMAP Connection
+@subsection Customizing the IMAP Connection
+
+Here's an example method that's more complex:
+
+@example
+(nnimap "imap.gmail.com"
+ (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
+ (nnimap-split-methods default)
+ (nnimap-expunge t)
+ (nnimap-stream ssl))
+@end example
+
+@table @code
+@item nnimap-address
+The address of the server, like @samp{imap.gmail.com}.
+
+@item nnimap-server-port
+If the server uses a non-standard port, that can be specified here. A
+typical port would be @code{"imap"} or @code{"imaps"}.
+
+@item nnimap-stream
+How @code{nnimap} should connect to the server. Possible values are:
+
+@table @code
+@item undecided
+This is the default, and this first tries the @code{ssl} setting, and
+then tries the @code{network} setting.
+
+@item ssl
+This uses standard @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
+
+@item network
+Non-encrypted and unsafe straight socket connection, but will upgrade
+to encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} if both Emacs and the server
+supports it.
+
+@item starttls
+Encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} over the normal @acronym{IMAP} port.
+
+@item shell
+If you need to tunnel via other systems to connect to the server, you
+can use this option, and customize @code{nnimap-shell-program} to be
+what you need.
+
+@end table
+
+@item nnimap-authenticator
+Some @acronym{IMAP} servers allow anonymous logins. In that case,
+this should be set to @code{anonymous}.
+
+@item nnimap-expunge
+If non-@code{nil}, expunge articles after deleting them. This is always done
+if the server supports UID EXPUNGE, but it's not done by default on
+servers that doesn't support that command.
+
+@item nnimap-streaming
+Virtually all @code{IMAP} server support fast streaming of data. If
+you have problems connecting to the server, try setting this to @code{nil}.
+
+@item nnimap-fetch-partial-articles
+If non-@code{nil}, fetch partial articles from the server. If set to
+a string, then it's interpreted as a regexp, and parts that have
+matching types will be fetched. For instance, @samp{"text/"} will
+fetch all textual parts, while leaving the rest on the server.
+
+@end table
+
-@item nnspool-active-file
-@vindex nnspool-active-file
-The name of the active file.
+@node Client-Side IMAP Splitting
+@subsection Client-Side IMAP Splitting
-@item nnspool-newsgroups-file
-@vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
-The name of the group descriptions file.
+Many people prefer to do the sorting/splitting of mail into their mail
+boxes on the @acronym{IMAP} server. That way they don't have to
+download the mail they're not all that interested in.
-@item nnspool-history-file
-@vindex nnspool-history-file
-The name of the news history file.
+If you do want to do client-side mail splitting, then the following
+variables are relevant:
-@item nnspool-active-times-file
-@vindex nnspool-active-times-file
-The name of the active date file.
+@table @code
+@item nnimap-inbox
+This is the @acronym{IMAP} mail box that will be scanned for new mail.
-@item nnspool-nov-is-evil
-@vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
-If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
-that it finds.
+@item nnimap-split-methods
+Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-methods} (@pxref{Splitting
+Mail}), except the symbol @code{default}, which means that it should
+use the value of the @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable.
-@item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
-@vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
-@cindex sed
-If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
-relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
-@code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
-there.
+@item nnimap-split-fancy
+Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
+
+@item nnimap-unsplittable-articles
+List of flag symbols to ignore when doing splitting. That is,
+articles that have these flags won't be considered when splitting.
+The default is @samp{(%Deleted %Seen)}.
@end table
+Here's a complete example @code{nnimap} backend with a client-side
+``fancy'' splitting method:
+
+@example
+(nnimap "imap.example.com"
+ (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
+ (nnimap-split-methods
+ (| ("MailScanner-SpamCheck" "spam" "spam.detected")
+ (to "foo@@bar.com" "foo")
+ "undecided")))
+@end example
+
@node Getting Mail
@section Getting Mail
message. The function should return a list of group names that it
thinks should carry this mail message.
+This variable can also be a fancy split method. For the syntax,
+see @ref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
+
Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
@acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
-@acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
-
-Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
-may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
+@acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{Using IMAP}, for more information.
Keywords:
:fetchflag "\\Seen")
@end lisp
-@item webmail
-Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
-@uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
-@uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
-
-NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
-required for url "4.0pre.46".
-
-WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
-
-Keywords:
-
-@table @code
-@item :subtype
-The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
-alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
-
-@item :user
-The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
-name.
-
-@item :password
-The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
-prompted.
-
-@item :dontexpunge
-If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
-trash folder after finishing the fetch.
-
-@end table
-
-An example webmail source:
-
-@lisp
-(webmail :subtype 'hotmail
- :user "user-name"
- :password "secret")
-@end lisp
-
@item group
Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
@xref{Group Parameters}.
above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
not be downloaded by default. You need to set
@code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
-(@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
+(@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
@item (! @var{func} @var{split})
If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
@end menu
+
@node Unix Mail Box
@subsubsection Unix Mail Box
@cindex nnmbox
mail back ends.
@code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
-differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
-filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
+differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
+filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
-per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
-@code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
-you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
-@uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
+per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}.
+(Use @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this
+slows you down or takes up very much space, a non-block-structured
file system.
Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
download script using @command{wget}.
+@end table
+
+The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
+the summary buffer.
+
+@lisp
+(add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
+(setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
+
+(defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
+ (let ((descr
+ (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
+ (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
+@end lisp
+
+The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
+summary buffer.
+
+@lisp
+(require 'browse-url)
+
+(defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
+ (interactive "p")
+ (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
+ (mail-header-extra
+ (gnus-data-header
+ (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
+ gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
+ (if url
+ (progn
+ (browse-url (cdr url))
+ (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
+ (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
+
+(eval-after-load "gnus"
+ #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
+ (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
+(add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
+@end lisp
+
+Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
+@code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
+Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
+Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
+more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
+@samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
+@code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
+Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
+@code{nnrss} groups:
+
+@lisp
+;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
+(eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
+ '(add-to-list
+ 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
+ '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
+ . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
+
+;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
+(add-to-list
+ 'gnus-parameters
+ '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
+@end lisp
+
+
+@node Customizing W3
+@subsection Customizing W3
+@cindex W3
+@cindex html
+@cindex url
+@cindex Netscape
+
+Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
+alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
+manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
+users.
+
+For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
+using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
+browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
+
+@lisp
+(eval-after-load "w3"
+ '(progn
+ (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
+ (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
+ (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
+ (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
+ (browse-url url)
+ (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
+@end lisp
+
+Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
+@acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
+follow the link.
+
+
+@node Other Sources
+@section Other Sources
+
+Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
+below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
+newsgroups.
+
+@menu
+* Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
+* Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
+* Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
+* Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
+* The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Directory Groups
+@subsection Directory Groups
+@cindex nndir
+@cindex directory groups
+
+If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
+it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
+names, of course.
+
+This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
+successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
+packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
+back end to read directories. Big deal.
+
+@code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
+enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
+@file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
+@code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
+directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
+
+@code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
+
+@code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
+articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
+whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
+methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
+
+
+@node Anything Groups
+@subsection Anything Groups
+@cindex nneething
+
+From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
+directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
+pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
+true.
+
+When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
+directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
+a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
+After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
+@code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
+file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
+few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
+just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
+@code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
+file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
+elements.
+
+All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
+with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
+newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
+in the article buffer, just as usual.
+
+If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
+a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
+traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
+Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
+
+There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
+doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
+will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
+are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
+normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
+article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
+other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
+be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
+
+Some variables:
+
+@table @code
+@item nneething-map-file-directory
+@vindex nneething-map-file-directory
+All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
+in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
+
+@item nneething-exclude-files
+@vindex nneething-exclude-files
+All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
+auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
+
+@item nneething-include-files
+@vindex nneething-include-files
+Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
+non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
-@item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
-Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
-parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
-@code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
-,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
-to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
-simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
-@samp{text/html} parts.
+@item nneething-map-file
+@vindex nneething-map-file
+Name of the map files.
@end table
-The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
-the summary buffer.
-
-@lisp
-(add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
-(setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
-(defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
- (let ((descr
- (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
- (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
-@end lisp
+@node Document Groups
+@subsection Document Groups
+@cindex nndoc
+@cindex documentation group
+@cindex help group
-The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
-summary buffer.
+@code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
+as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
-@lisp
-(require 'browse-url)
+@table @code
+@cindex Babyl
+@item babyl
+The Babyl format.
-(defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
- (interactive "p")
- (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
- (mail-header-extra
- (gnus-data-header
- (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
- gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
- (if url
- (progn
- (browse-url (cdr url))
- (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
- (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
+@cindex mbox
+@cindex Unix mbox
+@item mbox
+The standard Unix mbox file.
-(eval-after-load "gnus"
- #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
- (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
-(add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
-@end lisp
+@cindex MMDF mail box
+@item mmdf
+The MMDF mail box format.
-Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
-@code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
-Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
-Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
-more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
-@samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
-@code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
-Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
-@code{nnrss} groups:
+@item news
+Several news articles appended into a file.
-@lisp
-;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
-(eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
- '(add-to-list
- 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
- '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
- . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
+@cindex rnews batch files
+@item rnews
+The rnews batch transport format.
-;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
-(add-to-list
- 'gnus-parameters
- '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
-@end lisp
+@item nsmail
+Netscape mail boxes.
+@item mime-parts
+@acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
-@node Customizing W3
-@subsection Customizing W3
-@cindex W3
-@cindex html
-@cindex url
-@cindex Netscape
+@item standard-digest
+The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
-Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
-alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
-manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
-users.
+@item mime-digest
+A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
-For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
-using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
-browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
+@item lanl-gov-announce
+Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
-@lisp
-(eval-after-load "w3"
- '(progn
- (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
- (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
- (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
- (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
- (browse-url url)
- (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
-@end lisp
+@cindex git commit messages
+@item git
+@code{git} commit messages.
-Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
-@acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
-follow the link.
+@cindex forwarded messages
+@item rfc822-forward
+A message forwarded according to RFC822.
+@item outlook
+The Outlook mail box.
-@node IMAP
-@section IMAP
-@cindex nnimap
-@cindex @acronym{IMAP}
+@item oe-dbx
+The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
-@acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
-think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
-server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
-specify the network address of the server.
+@item exim-bounce
+A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
-@acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
-everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
-@acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
-similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
-@acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
-is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
+@item forward
+A message forwarded according to informal rules.
-If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
-entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
-the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
-not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
+@item rfc934
+An RFC934-forwarded message.
-If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
-entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
-manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
-usage explained in this section.
+@item mailman
+A mailman digest.
-A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
-servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
-@acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
-see below.)
+@item clari-briefs
+A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
- '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
- ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
- (nnimap "dolk"
- (nnimap-address "localhost")
- (nnimap-server-port 1430))
- ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
- (nnimap "barbar"
- (nnimap-server-port 143)
- (nnimap-address "localhost")
- (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
- ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
- (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
- (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
- (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
- (nnimap-stream network))
- ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
- (nnimap "vic20"
- (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
- (nnimap-server-port 9930)
- (nnimap-stream ssl))))
-@end lisp
-
-After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
-server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
-(@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
-(@pxref{Server Buffer}).
-
-The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
-server:
+@item slack-digest
+Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
-@table @code
+@item mail-in-mail
+The last resort.
+@end table
-@item nnimap-address
-@vindex nnimap-address
+You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
+that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
+@code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
+file is.
-The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
-server name if not specified.
+@code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
+it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
+group. And that's it.
-@item nnimap-server-port
-@vindex nnimap-server-port
-Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
+If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
+new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
+that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
+to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
+@code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
+(@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
+the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
+using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
+file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
+delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
-Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
+Virtual server variables:
-@lisp
-(nnimap "mail.server.com"
- (nnimap-server-port 4711))
-@end lisp
+@table @code
+@item nndoc-article-type
+@vindex nndoc-article-type
+This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
+@code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
+@code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
+@code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
+@code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
-@item nnimap-list-pattern
-@vindex nnimap-list-pattern
-String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
-This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
-interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
-@acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
-@file{~/Mail/*} then.
+@item nndoc-post-type
+@vindex nndoc-post-type
+This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
+a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
+and @code{news}.
+@end table
-The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
-REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
-Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
-mailbox.
+@menu
+* Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
+@end menu
-Example server specification:
-@lisp
-(nnimap "mail.server.com"
- (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
- ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
-@end lisp
+@node Document Server Internals
+@subsubsection Document Server Internals
-@item nnimap-stream
-@vindex nnimap-stream
-The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
-will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
-of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
-@acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
-be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
+Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
+difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
+looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
+and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
-Example server specification:
+First, here's an example document type definition:
-@lisp
-(nnimap "mail.server.com"
- (nnimap-stream ssl))
-@end lisp
+@example
+(mmdf
+ (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
+ (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
+@end example
-Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
+The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
+regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
+variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
+types can be defined with very few settings:
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-@dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
-@samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
-@item
-@dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
-@item
-@dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
-@acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
-@samp{starttls}.
-@item
-@dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
-@samp{gnutls-cli}).
-@item
-@dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
-@samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
-@item
-@dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
-@item
-@dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
-@end itemize
+@table @code
+@item first-article
+If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
+something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
+totally ignored.
-@vindex imap-kerberos4-program
-The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
-using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
-1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
-to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
-with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
-restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
-indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
-@code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
-program.
-
-For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
-needed. It is available from
-@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
-
-@vindex imap-gssapi-program
-This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
-authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
-sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
-exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
-@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
-program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
-tried.
-
-@vindex imap-ssl-program
-For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
-@uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
-and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
-SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
-useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
-work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
-to OpenSSL/SSLeay.
-
-@vindex imap-shell-program
-@vindex imap-shell-host
-For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the
-variable @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call. Make
-sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g., don't
-forget to redirect the error output to the void.
+@item article-begin
+This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
+says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
+complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
+use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
-@item nnimap-authenticator
-@vindex nnimap-authenticator
+@item article-begin-function
+If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
+of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
-The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
-will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
+@item head-begin
+If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
+article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
+simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
-Example server specification:
+@item head-begin-function
+If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
+the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
-@lisp
-(nnimap "mail.server.com"
- (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
-@end lisp
+@item head-end
+This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
+@samp{^$}---the empty line.
-Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
+@item body-begin
+This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
+to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
+a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-@dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
-external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
-@item
-@dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
-@code{imtest}.
-@item
-@dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
-external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
-@item
-@dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
-@item
-@dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
-@item
-@dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
-@end itemize
+@item body-begin-function
+If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
+of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
-@item nnimap-expunge-on-close
-@cindex expunging
-@vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
-Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
-don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
-this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
-delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
-nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
-similar).
-
-Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
-@code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
-running in circles yet?
-
-Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
-when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
-variable.
+@item body-end
+If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
+more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
+can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
-The possible options are:
+@item body-end-function
+If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
+the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
-@table @code
+@item file-begin
+If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
+before this regexp will be totally ignored.
-@item always
-The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
-closing a mailbox.
-@item never
-Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
-the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
-may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
-manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
-@item ask
-When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
-articles or not.
+@item file-end
+If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
+regexp will be totally ignored.
@end table
-@item nnimap-importantize-dormant
-@vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
-
-If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
-well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
-naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
-articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
-clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
-has only one.)
-
-Probably the only reason for frobbing this would be if you're trying
-enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
-
-@lisp
-(setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
- (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
-(setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
- (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
-@end lisp
+So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
+file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
+few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
+news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
+something that's palatable for Gnus:
-In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
-as ticked for other users.
+@table @code
+@item prepare-body-function
+If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
+will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
+document has encoded some parts of its contents.
-@item nnimap-expunge-search-string
-@cindex expunging
-@vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
-@cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
+@item article-transform-function
+If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
+meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
+body of the article.
-This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
-searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
-@code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
-UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
+@item generate-head-function
+If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
+understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
+expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
+called when requesting the headers of all articles.
-Probably the only useful value to change this to is
-@code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
-messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
-RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
+@item generate-article-function
+If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
+Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
+parameter when requesting all articles.
-However, if @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}
-is true, this variable has no effect since the search logic
-is reversed, as described below.
+@item dissection-function
+If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
+overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
+@code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
+@code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
+@code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
+@code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
-@item nnimap-authinfo-file
-@vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
+@end table
-A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
-(almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
-variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
-@ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
+Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
+digests:
@example
-machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
+(standard-digest
+ (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
+ (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
+ (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
+ (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
+ (head-end . "^ ?$")
+ (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
+ (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
+ (subtype digest guess))
@end example
-Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
-use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
-actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
-convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
-@code{port imap}.
-
-@item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
-@vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
-
-Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
-seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
-Courier 1.7.1 did.
-
-@item nnimap-nov-is-evil
-@vindex nnimap-nov-is-evil
-@cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
-@cindex @acronym{NOV}
-
-Never generate or use a local @acronym{NOV} database. Defaults to the
-value of @code{gnus-agent}.
-
-Using a @acronym{NOV} database usually makes header fetching much
-faster, but it uses the @code{UID SEARCH UID} command, which is very
-slow on some servers (notably some versions of Courier). Since the Gnus
-Agent caches the information in the @acronym{NOV} database without using
-the slow command, this variable defaults to true if the Agent is in use,
-and false otherwise.
-
-@item nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
-@vindex nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
-@cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
-@cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
-
-Avoid the @code{UID SEARCH UID @var{message numbers} NOT SINCE
-@var{date}} command, which is slow on some @acronym{IMAP} servers
-(notably, some versions of Courier). Instead, use @code{UID SEARCH SINCE
-@var{date}} and prune the list of expirable articles within Gnus.
-
-When Gnus expires your mail (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), it starts with a
-list of expirable articles and asks the IMAP server questions like ``Of
-these articles, which ones are older than a week?'' While this seems
-like a perfectly reasonable question, some IMAP servers take a long time
-to answer it, since they seemingly go looking into every old article to
-see if it is one of the expirable ones. Curiously, the question ``Of
-@emph{all} articles, which ones are newer than a week?'' seems to be
-much faster to answer, so setting this variable causes Gnus to ask this
-question and figure out the answer to the real question itself.
-
-This problem can really sneak up on you: when you first configure Gnus,
-everything works fine, but once you accumulate a couple thousand
-messages, you start cursing Gnus for being so slow. On the other hand,
-if you get a lot of email within a week, setting this variable will
-cause a lot of network traffic between Gnus and the IMAP server.
+We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
+text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
+each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
+the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
+run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
-@item nnimap-logout-timeout
-@vindex nnimap-logout-timeout
+To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
+@code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
+is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
+where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
+The alist is traversed sequentially, and
+@code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
+So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
+@code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
+@code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
+is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
+correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
+means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
-There is a case where a connection to a @acronym{IMAP} server is unable
-to close, when connecting to the server via a certain kind of network,
-e.g. @acronym{VPN}. In that case, it will be observed that a connection
-between Emacs and the local network looks alive even if the server has
-closed a connection for some reason (typically, a timeout).
-Consequently, Emacs continues waiting for a response from the server for
-the @code{LOGOUT} command that Emacs sent, or hangs in other words. If
-you are in such a network, setting this variable to a number of seconds
-will be helpful. If it is set, a hung connection will be closed
-forcibly, after this number of seconds from the time Emacs sends the
-@code{LOGOUT} command. It should not be too small value but too large
-value will be inconvenient too. Perhaps the value 1.0 will be a good
-candidate but it might be worth trying some other values.
-Example server specification:
+@node Mail-To-News Gateways
+@subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
+@cindex mail-to-news gateways
+@cindex gateways
-@lisp
-(nnimap "mail.server.com"
- (nnimap-logout-timeout 1.0))
-@end lisp
+If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
+or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
+The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
-@end table
+Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
+used to post with.
-@menu
-* Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
-* Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
-* Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
-* Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
-* A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
-* Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
-@end menu
+Server variables:
+@table @code
+@item nngateway-address
+@vindex nngateway-address
+This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
+@item nngateway-header-transformation
+@vindex nngateway-header-transformation
+News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
+for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
+transformation should be called, and defaults to
+@code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
+narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
+gateway address.
-@node Splitting in IMAP
-@subsection Splitting in IMAP
-@cindex splitting imap mail
+This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
+@code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
+For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
-Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
-the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
-@acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
-splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
-@acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
+@example
+Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
+@end example
-And it does.
+will get this @code{To} header inserted:
-(Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
-gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
-Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
+@example
+To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
+@end example
-Here are the variables of interest:
+The following pre-defined functions exist:
+@findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
@table @code
-@item nnimap-split-crosspost
-@cindex splitting, crosspost
-@cindex crosspost
-@vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
+@item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
+Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
+@var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
-If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
-mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
-found will be used.
+@findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
-Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
+@item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
+Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
+@code{nngateway-address}.
+@end table
-@item nnimap-split-inbox
-@cindex splitting, inbox
-@cindex inbox
-@vindex nnimap-split-inbox
+@end table
-A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
-mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
-splitting is disabled!
+Here's an example:
@lisp
-(setq nnimap-split-inbox
- '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
+(setq gnus-post-method
+ '(nngateway
+ "mail2news@@replay.com"
+ (nngateway-header-transformation
+ nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
@end lisp
-No nnmail equivalent.
+So, to use this, simply say something like:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
+@end lisp
-@item nnimap-split-rule
-@cindex splitting, rules
-@vindex nnimap-split-rule
-New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
-this variable.
+@node The Empty Backend
+@subsection The Empty Backend
+@cindex nnnil
-This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
-sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
-matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
-Neither did I, we need examples.
+@code{nnnil} is a backend that can be used as a placeholder if you
+have to specify a backend somewhere, but don't really want to. The
+classical example is if you don't want to have a primary select
+methods, but want to only use secondary ones:
@lisp
-(setq nnimap-split-rule
- '(("INBOX.nnimap"
- "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
- ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
- ("INBOX.private" "")))
+(setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
+(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
+ '((nnimap "foo")
+ (nnml "")))
@end lisp
-This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
-INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
-into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
-The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
-replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
-instance:
+@node Combined Groups
+@section Combined Groups
-@lisp
-("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
-@end lisp
+Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
+groups.
-The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
-matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
+@menu
+* Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
+@end menu
-The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
-called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
-containing the headers of the article. It should return a
-non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
-Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
-match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
-nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
-of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
-unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
-them every time you fetch new mail.)
+@node Virtual Groups
+@subsection Virtual Groups
+@cindex nnvirtual
+@cindex virtual groups
+@cindex merging groups
+
+An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
+other groups.
-These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
-end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
-crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
+For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
+put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
+big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
-This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
-be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
-thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
+You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
+regexp to match component groups.
-The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
+All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
+component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
+article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
+came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
+shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
+@kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
+and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
+(@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
-To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
-even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
-the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
+Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
+newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
@lisp
-(setq nnimap-split-rule
- '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
- ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
- ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
- ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
- ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
+(nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
@end lisp
-The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
-may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
-@code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
-Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
-rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
-group/function elements.
+The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
+smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
+
+Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
+idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
+If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
+and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
+
+@example
+"^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
+@end example
+
+(Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
+shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
+characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
-Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
+This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
+end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
+the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
+sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
+(@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
-@item nnimap-split-predicate
-@cindex splitting
-@vindex nnimap-split-predicate
+One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
+group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
+zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
-Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
-split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
+@vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
+If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
+is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
+articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
+and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
+been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
+when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
+have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
+that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
+just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
+it---it'll have much the same effect.
-This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
-your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
-regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
-@samp{UNDELETED}.
+@code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
+When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
+has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
+whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
+there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
+and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
+not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
-@item nnimap-split-fancy
-@cindex splitting, fancy
-@findex nnimap-split-fancy
-@vindex nnimap-split-fancy
+@kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
+line from the article you respond to in these cases.
-It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
-@code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
-splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
+@code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
+from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
+inherited.
-However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
-nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
-@code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
-rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
-Example:
+@node Email Based Diary
+@section Email Based Diary
+@cindex diary
+@cindex email based diary
+@cindex calendar
-@lisp
-(setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
- nnimap-split-fancy ...)
-@end lisp
+This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
+and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
+sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
+reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
+Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
+namely, as event reminders.
-Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
+Here is a typical scenario:
-@item nnimap-split-download-body
-@findex nnimap-split-download-body
-@vindex nnimap-split-download-body
+@itemize @bullet
+@item
+You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
+to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
+@item
+So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
+@item
+You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
+@item
+From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
+is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
+appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
+@item
+Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
+of the night you're gonna have.
+@item
+Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
+message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
+@end itemize
-Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
-This is generally not required, and will slow things down
-considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
-splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
+The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
+(that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
+real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
+explained in the sections below.
-@end table
+@menu
+* The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
+* The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
+* Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
+@end menu
-@node Expiring in IMAP
-@subsection Expiring in IMAP
-@cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
-Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
-end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
-Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
-IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
-@var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
-follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
-process.
+@node The NNDiary Back End
+@subsection The NNDiary Back End
+@cindex nndiary
+@cindex the nndiary back end
-A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
-appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
-@code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
-message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
-the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
-you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
-your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
-messages. Most do, fortunately.
+@code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
+Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
+@code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
+the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
+directory per group.
-If expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail seems very slow, try setting the server
-variable @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}.
+ Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
+@code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
+of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
+Timestamp} to see how it's done.
-@table @code
+@menu
+* Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
+* Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
+* Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
+@end menu
-@item nnmail-expiry-wait
-@item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
+@node Diary Messages
+@subsubsection Diary Messages
+@cindex nndiary messages
+@cindex nndiary mails
-These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
-number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
+@code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
+presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
+@code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
+@code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
+@code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
+@code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
+crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
-@item nnmail-expiry-target
+@itemize @bullet
+@item
+For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
+either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
+(separated by a comma).
+@item
+A field is either an integer, or a range.
+@item
+A range is two integers separated by a dash.
+@item
+Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
+@code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
+for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
+@item
+As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
+mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
+that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
+@item
+The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
+value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
+values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
+zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
+list of available time zone values, see the variable
+@code{nndiary-headers}.
+@end itemize
-This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
-@code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
-that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
-article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
+As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
+for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
+21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
+what to do then):
-@end table
+@example
+X-Diary-Minute: 0
+X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
+X-Diary-Dom: 1
+X-Diary-Month: *
+X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
+X-Diary-Dow: 1
+X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
+@end example
-@node Editing IMAP ACLs
-@subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
-@cindex editing imap acls
-@cindex Access Control Lists
-@cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
-@kindex G l (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
+@node Running NNDiary
+@subsubsection Running NNDiary
+@cindex running nndiary
+@cindex nndiary operation modes
-ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
-limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
-@acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
-doesn't.
+@code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
+and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
+mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
+from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
+as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
+mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
-To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
-(@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
-editing window with detailed instructions.
+One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
+``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
+sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
+messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
+being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
+the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
+(which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
+mode.
-Some possible uses:
+In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
+things to do:
@itemize @bullet
@item
-Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
-on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
-follow the list without subscribing to it.
-@item
-At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
-``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
-mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
-INBOX.mailbox).
-@end itemize
-
-@node Expunging mailboxes
-@subsection Expunging mailboxes
-@cindex expunging
-
-@cindex expunge
-@cindex manual expunging
-@kindex G x (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-expunge-group
-
-If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
-you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
-manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
-
-Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
-delete them.
-
-@node A note on namespaces
-@subsection A note on namespaces
-@cindex IMAP namespace
-@cindex namespaces
-
-The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
-by the following text in the RFC2060:
-
-@display
-5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
-
- By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
- which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
- the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
- types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
-
- For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
- newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
- newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
- comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
- "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
- to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
-@end display
-
-While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
-@acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
-prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
-
-Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
-mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
-in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
-created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
-without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
-not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
-mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
-you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
-Gnus.
-
-See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
-for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
-tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
-
-@node Debugging IMAP
-@subsection Debugging IMAP
-@cindex IMAP debugging
-@cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
-
-@acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
-@acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
-best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
-are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
-
-If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
-probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
-exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
-with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
-@acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
-critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
-to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
-
-
-@vindex imap-log
-Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
-disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
-follows:
+Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
+line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
@lisp
-(setq imap-log t)
+(setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
@end lisp
+@item
+You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
+headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
+Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
+multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
+source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
-This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
-the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
-for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
-@code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
-data.
-
-@node Other Sources
-@section Other Sources
-
-Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
-below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
-newsgroups.
-
-@menu
-* Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
-* Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
-* Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
-* Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
-@end menu
-
-
-@node Directory Groups
-@subsection Directory Groups
-@cindex nndir
-@cindex directory groups
+As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
+@file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
-If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
-it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
-names, of course.
+@example
+:0 HD :
+* ^X-Diary
+.nndiary
+@end example
+@end itemize
-This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
-successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
-packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
-back end to read directories. Big deal.
+Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
+that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
-@code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
-enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
-@file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
-@code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
-directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
+@defvar nndiary-mail-sources
+This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
+@code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
+@code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
+@end defvar
-@code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
+@defvar nndiary-split-methods
+This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
+@code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
+@end defvar
-@code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
-articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
-whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
-methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
+ Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
+(something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
+@code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
+ Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
+@file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
+autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
+also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
+diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
-@node Anything Groups
-@subsection Anything Groups
-@cindex nneething
+@node Customizing NNDiary
+@subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
+@cindex customizing nndiary
+@cindex nndiary customization
-From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
-directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
-pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
-true.
+Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
+The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
+browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
+two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
-When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
-directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
-a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
-After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
-@code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
-file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
-few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
-just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
-@code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
-file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
-elements.
+@defvar nndiary-reminders
+This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
+appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
+before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
+diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
+mail.
+@end defvar
-All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
-with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
-newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
-in the article buffer, just as usual.
+@defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
+Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
+default).
+@end defvar
-If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
-a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
-traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
-Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
-There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
-doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
-will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
-are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
-normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
-article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
-other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
-be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
+@node The Gnus Diary Library
+@subsection The Gnus Diary Library
+@cindex gnus-diary
+@cindex the gnus diary library
-Some variables:
+Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
+so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
+@code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
+useful things for you.
-@table @code
-@item nneething-map-file-directory
-@vindex nneething-map-file-directory
-All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
-in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
+ In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
-@item nneething-exclude-files
-@vindex nneething-exclude-files
-All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
-auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
+@lisp
+(require 'gnus-diary)
+@end lisp
-@item nneething-include-files
-@vindex nneething-include-files
-Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
-non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
+ Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
+(@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
+(sorry if you used them before).
-@item nneething-map-file
-@vindex nneething-map-file
-Name of the map files.
-@end table
+@menu
+* Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
+* Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
+* Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
+* Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
+@end menu
-@node Document Groups
-@subsection Document Groups
-@cindex nndoc
-@cindex documentation group
-@cindex help group
+@node Diary Summary Line Format
+@subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
+@cindex diary summary buffer line
+@cindex diary summary line format
-@code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
-as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
+Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
+something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
+the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
+see the event's date.
-@table @code
-@cindex Babyl
-@item babyl
-The Babyl format.
+ @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
+summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
+for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
+while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
+next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
-@cindex mbox
-@cindex Unix mbox
-@item mbox
-The standard Unix mbox file.
+ For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
+@code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
+expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
-@cindex MMDF mail box
-@item mmdf
-The MMDF mail box format.
+@example
+ E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
+@end example
-@item news
-Several news articles appended into a file.
+In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
+following line to your diary groups'parameters:
-@cindex rnews batch files
-@item rnews
-The rnews batch transport format.
+@lisp
+(gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
+@end lisp
-@item nsmail
-Netscape mail boxes.
+However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
+Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
+with the following user options:
-@item mime-parts
-@acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
+@defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
+Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
+Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
+diary groups'parameters.
+@end defvar
-@item standard-digest
-The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
+@defvar gnus-diary-time-format
+Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
+used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
+@end defvar
-@item mime-digest
-A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
+@defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
+Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
+times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
+format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
+you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
+@end defvar
-@item lanl-gov-announce
-Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
+@node Diary Articles Sorting
+@subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
+@cindex diary articles sorting
+@cindex diary summary lines sorting
+@findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
+@findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
+@findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
-@cindex forwarded messages
-@item rfc822-forward
-A message forwarded according to RFC822.
+@code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
+Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
+@code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
+@code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
+your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
-@item outlook
-The Outlook mail box.
+@code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
+@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
+buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
+default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
+Parameters}).
-@item oe-dbx
-The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
+@node Diary Headers Generation
+@subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
+@cindex diary headers generation
+@findex gnus-diary-check-message
-@item exim-bounce
-A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
+@code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
+@code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
+headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
+required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
+needed.
-@item forward
-A message forwarded according to informal rules.
+ This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
+moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
+automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
+@code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
+process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
-@item rfc934
-An RFC934-forwarded message.
+ This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
+all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
+you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
+instance.
-@item mailman
-A mailman digest.
+@node Diary Group Parameters
+@subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
+@cindex diary group parameters
-@item clari-briefs
-A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
+When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
+automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
+summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
+diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
+@code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
+to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
+on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
+automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
-@item slack-digest
-Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
+@node Sending or Not Sending
+@subsection Sending or Not Sending
-@item mail-in-mail
-The last resort.
-@end table
+Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
+mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
-You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
-that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
-@code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
-file is.
+@itemize @bullet
+@item
+@code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
+messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
+appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
+sending the diary message to them as well.
+@item
+However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
+can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
+message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
+comes in very handy for private appointments.
+@end itemize
-@code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
-it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
-group. And that's it.
+@node Gnus Unplugged
+@section Gnus Unplugged
+@cindex offline
+@cindex unplugged
+@cindex agent
+@cindex Gnus agent
+@cindex Gnus unplugged
-If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
-new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
-that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
-to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
-@code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
-(@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
-the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
-using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
-file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
-delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
+In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
+on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
+was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
+read news. Believe it or not.
-Virtual server variables:
+Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
+modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
+would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
+the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
+have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
-@table @code
-@item nndoc-article-type
-@vindex nndoc-article-type
-This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
-@code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
-@code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
-@code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
-@code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
+Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
+@code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
+for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
+functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
+reading news on a machine.
-@item nndoc-post-type
-@vindex nndoc-post-type
-This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
-a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
-and @code{news}.
-@end table
+Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
+fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
+by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
+
+Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
@menu
-* Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
+* Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
+* Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
+* Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
+* Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
+* Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
+* Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
+* Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
+* Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
+* Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
+* Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
+* Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
+* Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
+* Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
+* Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
@end menu
-@node Document Server Internals
-@subsubsection Document Server Internals
+@node Agent Basics
+@subsection Agent Basics
+
+First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
+
+The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
+connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
+When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
+Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
-Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
-difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
-looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
-and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
+The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
+connected to the net continuously.
-First, here's an example document type definition:
+@dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
+machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
-@example
-(mmdf
- (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
- (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
-@end example
+You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
+shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
+is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
+say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
+you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
-The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
-regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
-variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
-types can be defined with very few settings:
+Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
+that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
+can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
+servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
+they're kinda like plugged always).
-@table @code
-@item first-article
-If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
-something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
-totally ignored.
+So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
+connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
+servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
+the culprit.
-@item article-begin
-This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
-says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
-complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
-use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
+Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
+reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
+server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
+server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
+will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
-@item article-begin-function
-If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
-of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
+Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
-@item head-begin
-If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
-article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
-simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
+@itemize @bullet
-@item head-begin-function
-If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
-the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
+@item
+@findex gnus-unplugged
+You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
+Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
+already fetched while in this mode.
-@item head-end
-This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
-@samp{^$}---the empty line.
+@item
+You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
+your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
+to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
+as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
+Source Specifiers}).
-@item body-begin
-This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
-to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
-a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
+@item
+You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
+news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
+@kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
+all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
+articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
-@item body-begin-function
-If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
-of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
+@item
+After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
+unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
+then you read the news offline.
-@item body-end
-If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
-more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
-can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
+@item
+And then you go to step 2.
+@end itemize
-@item body-end-function
-If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
-the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
+Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
+the Agent.
-@item file-begin
-If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
-before this regexp will be totally ignored.
+@itemize @bullet
-@item file-end
-If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
-regexp will be totally ignored.
+@item
+Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
+back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
+Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
+@kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
+Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
+added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
+all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
+@code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
-@end table
+@item
+Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
+you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
+parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
+is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
-So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
-file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
-few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
-news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
-something that's palatable for Gnus:
+Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
+(@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
+to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
+parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
+to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
+your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
+configure them.
-@table @code
-@item prepare-body-function
-If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
-will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
-document has encoded some parts of its contents.
+@item
+Uhm@dots{} that's it.
+@end itemize
-@item article-transform-function
-If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
-meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
-body of the article.
-@item generate-head-function
-If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
-understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
-expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
-called when requesting the headers of all articles.
+@node Agent Categories
+@subsection Agent Categories
-@item generate-article-function
-If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
-Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
-parameter when requesting all articles.
+One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
+newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
+There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
+find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
+to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
+mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
+you're interested in the articles anyway.
-@item dissection-function
-If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
-overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
-@code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
-@code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
-@code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
-@code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
+One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
+downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
+groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
+category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
+buffer for creating and managing categories.
-@end table
+If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
+Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
+alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
+difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
+less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
+sink.
-Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
-digests:
+Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
+a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
+the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
+parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
+variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
+of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
+your settings.
-@example
-(standard-digest
- (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
- (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
- (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
- (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
- (head-end . "^ ?$")
- (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
- (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
- (subtype digest guess))
-@end example
+@menu
+* Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
+* Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
+* Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
+@end menu
-We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
-text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
-each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
-the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
-run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
-To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
-@code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
-is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
-where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
-The alist is traversed sequentially, and
-@code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
-So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
-@code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
-@code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
-is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
-correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
-means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
+@node Category Syntax
+@subsubsection Category Syntax
+A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
+category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
+customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
+listed below.
-@node Mail-To-News Gateways
-@subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
-@cindex mail-to-news gateways
-@cindex gateways
+@cindex Agent Parameters
+@table @code
+@item agent-groups
+The list of groups that are in this category.
-If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
-or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
-The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
+@item agent-predicate
+A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
+are eligible for downloading; and
-Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
-used to post with.
+@item agent-score
+a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
+deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
+score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
-Server variables:
+@item agent-enable-expiration
+a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
+this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
+fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
+only groups that should not be expired.
-@table @code
-@item nngateway-address
-@vindex nngateway-address
-This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
+@item agent-days-until-old
+an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
+before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
-@item nngateway-header-transformation
-@vindex nngateway-header-transformation
-News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
-for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
-transformation should be called, and defaults to
-@code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
-narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
-gateway address.
+@item agent-low-score
+an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
-This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
-@code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
-For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
+@item agent-high-score
+an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
-@example
-Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
-@end example
+@item agent-short-article
+an integer that overrides the value of
+@code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
-will get this @code{To} header inserted:
+@item agent-long-article
+an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
-@example
-To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
-@end example
+@item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
+a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
+undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
+faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
+undownloaded faces.
+@end table
-The following pre-defined functions exist:
+The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
+created.
-@findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
-@table @code
+Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
+that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
+group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
+category.
-@item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
-Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
-@var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
+A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
+@code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
+article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
+predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
-@findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
+Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
+their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
+@code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
-@item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
-Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
-@code{nngateway-address}.
-@end table
+To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
+download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
+operators sprinkled in between.
-@end table
+Perhaps some examples are in order.
-Here's an example:
+Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
+for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
@lisp
-(setq gnus-post-method
- '(nngateway
- "mail2news@@replay.com"
- (nngateway-header-transformation
- nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
+short
@end lisp
-So, to use this, simply say something like:
+Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
+short (for some value of ``short'').
+
+Here's a more complex predicate:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
+(or high
+ (and
+ (not low)
+ (not long)))
@end lisp
+This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
+or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
+drift.
+The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
+@code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
+@samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
-@node Combined Groups
-@section Combined Groups
+The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
+you want to do, you can write your own.
-Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
-groups.
+When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
+bound to the value determined by calling
+@code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
+example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
+@code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
+means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
+predicate to individual groups.
-@menu
-* Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
-@end menu
+@table @code
+@item short
+True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
+lines; default 100.
+@item long
+True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
+lines; default 200.
-@node Virtual Groups
-@subsection Virtual Groups
-@cindex nnvirtual
-@cindex virtual groups
-@cindex merging groups
+@item low
+True if the article has a download score less than
+@code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
-An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
-other groups.
+@item high
+True if the article has a download score greater than
+@code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
-For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
-put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
-big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
+@item spam
+True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
+heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
+checksum and sees whether articles match.
-You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
-regexp to match component groups.
+@item true
+Always true.
-All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
-component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
-article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
-came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
-shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
-@kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
-and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
-(@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
+@item false
+Always false.
+@end table
-Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
-newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
+If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
+to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
+@code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
+useful values.
+
+For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
+that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
+more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
+something along the lines of the following:
@lisp
-(nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
+(defun my-article-old-p ()
+ "Say whether an article is old."
+ (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
+ (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
@end lisp
-The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
-smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
+with the predicate then defined as:
-Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
-idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
-If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
-and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
+@lisp
+(not my-article-old-p)
+@end lisp
-@example
-"^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
-@end example
+or you could append your predicate to the predefined
+@code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
+wherever.
-(Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
-shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
-characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
+@lisp
+(require 'gnus-agent)
+(setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
+ (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
+ '((old . my-article-old-p))))
+@end lisp
-This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
-end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
-the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
-sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
-(@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
+and simply specify your predicate as:
-One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
-group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
-zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
+@lisp
+(not old)
+@end lisp
-@vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
-If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
-is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
-articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
-and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
-been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
-when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
-have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
-that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
-just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
-it---it'll have much the same effect.
+If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
+misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
+always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
+just don't give a damn.
-@code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
-When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
-has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
-whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
-there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
-and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
-not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
+The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
+category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
+individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
+new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
+parameters like so:
+
+@lisp
+(agent-predicate . short)
+@end lisp
+
+This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
+Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
+@code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
+
+The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
+
+@lisp
+(agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
+@end lisp
+
+The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
+entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
+predicate is assumed to be a list.
-@kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
-line from the article you respond to in these cases.
-@code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
-from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
-inherited.
+Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
+normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
+seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
+following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
+@code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
+@code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
+As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
+to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
+it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
+if it's to be specific to that group.
-@node Email Based Diary
-@section Email Based Diary
-@cindex diary
-@cindex email based diary
-@cindex calendar
+In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
+three forms:
-This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
-and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
-sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
-reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
-Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
-namely, as event reminders.
+@enumerate
+@item
+Score rule
-Here is a typical scenario:
+This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
+subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
+
+example:
@itemize @bullet
@item
-You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
-to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
-@item
-So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
-@item
-You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
-@item
-From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
-is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
-appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
-@item
-Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
-of the night you're gonna have.
+Category specification
+
+@lisp
+(("from"
+ ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
+("lines"
+ (500 -100 nil <)))
+@end lisp
+
@item
-Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
-message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
-@end itemize
+Group/Topic Parameter specification
-The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
-(that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
-real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
-explained in the sections below.
+@lisp
+(agent-score ("from"
+ ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
+ ("lines"
+ (500 -100 nil <)))
+@end lisp
-@menu
-* The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
-* The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
-* Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
-@end menu
+Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
+@end itemize
+@item
+Agent score file
-@node The NNDiary Back End
-@subsection The NNDiary Back End
-@cindex nndiary
-@cindex the nndiary back end
+These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
+keywords stated above.
-@code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
-Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
-@code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
-the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
-directory per group.
+example:
- Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
-@code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
-of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
-Timestamp} to see how it's done.
+@itemize @bullet
+@item
+Category specification
-@menu
-* Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
-* Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
-* Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
-@end menu
+@lisp
+("~/News/agent.SCORE")
+@end lisp
-@node Diary Messages
-@subsubsection Diary Messages
-@cindex nndiary messages
-@cindex nndiary mails
+or perhaps
-@code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
-presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
-@code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
-@code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
-@code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
-@code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
-crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
+@lisp
+("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
+@end lisp
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
-either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
-(separated by a comma).
-@item
-A field is either an integer, or a range.
-@item
-A range is two integers separated by a dash.
-@item
-Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
-@code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
-for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
-@item
-As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
-mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
-that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
@item
-The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
-value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
-values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
-zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
-list of available time zone values, see the variable
-@code{nndiary-headers}.
-@end itemize
-
-As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
-for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
-21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
-what to do then):
+Group Parameter specification
-@example
-X-Diary-Minute: 0
-X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
-X-Diary-Dom: 1
-X-Diary-Month: *
-X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
-X-Diary-Dow: 1
-X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
-@end example
+@lisp
+(agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
+@end lisp
-@node Running NNDiary
-@subsubsection Running NNDiary
-@cindex running nndiary
-@cindex nndiary operation modes
+Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
+about parenthesis?
+@end itemize
-@code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
-and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
-mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
-from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
-as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
-mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
+@item
+Use @code{normal} score files
-One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
-``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
-sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
-messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
-being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
-the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
-(which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
-mode.
+If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
+your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
+@code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
+@code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
-In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
-things to do:
+These directives in either the category definition or a group's
+parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
+files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
+relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
@itemize @bullet
@item
-Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
-line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
+Category Specification
@lisp
-(setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
+file
@end lisp
-@item
-You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
-headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
-Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
-multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
-source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
-As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
-@file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
+@item
+Group Parameter specification
-@example
-:0 HD :
-* ^X-Diary
-.nndiary
-@end example
+@lisp
+(agent-score . file)
+@end lisp
@end itemize
+@end enumerate
-Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
-that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
+@node Category Buffer
+@subsubsection Category Buffer
+
+You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
+When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
+the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
+
+The following commands are available in this buffer:
+
+@table @kbd
+@item q
+@kindex q (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-exit
+Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
+
+@item e
+@kindex e (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-customize-category
+Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
+parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
+
+@item k
+@kindex k (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-kill
+Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
+
+@item c
+@kindex c (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-copy
+Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
+
+@item a
+@kindex a (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-add
+Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
-@defvar nndiary-mail-sources
-This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
-@code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
-@code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
-@end defvar
+@item p
+@kindex p (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
+Edit the predicate of the current category
+(@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
-@defvar nndiary-split-methods
-This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
-@code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
-@end defvar
+@item g
+@kindex g (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-edit-groups
+Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
+(@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
- Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
-(something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
-@code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
+@item s
+@kindex s (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-edit-score
+Edit the download score rule of the current category
+(@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
- Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
-@file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
-autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
-also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
-diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
+@item l
+@kindex l (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-list
+List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
+@end table
-@node Customizing NNDiary
-@subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
-@cindex customizing nndiary
-@cindex nndiary customization
-Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
-The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
-browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
-two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
+@node Category Variables
+@subsubsection Category Variables
-@defvar nndiary-reminders
-This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
-appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
-before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
-diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
-mail.
-@end defvar
+@table @code
+@item gnus-category-mode-hook
+@vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
+Hook run in category buffers.
-@defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
-Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
-default).
-@end defvar
+@item gnus-category-line-format
+@vindex gnus-category-line-format
+Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
+Variables}). Valid elements are:
+@table @samp
+@item c
+The name of the category.
-@node The Gnus Diary Library
-@subsection The Gnus Diary Library
-@cindex gnus-diary
-@cindex the gnus diary library
+@item g
+The number of groups in the category.
+@end table
-Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
-so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
-@code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
-useful things for you.
+@item gnus-category-mode-line-format
+@vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
+Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
- In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
+@item gnus-agent-short-article
+@vindex gnus-agent-short-article
+Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
-@lisp
-(require 'gnus-diary)
-@end lisp
+@item gnus-agent-long-article
+@vindex gnus-agent-long-article
+Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
- Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
-(@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
-(sorry if you used them before).
+@item gnus-agent-low-score
+@vindex gnus-agent-low-score
+Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
+0.
+@item gnus-agent-high-score
+@vindex gnus-agent-high-score
+Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
+0.
-@menu
-* Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
-* Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
-* Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
-* Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
-@end menu
+@item gnus-agent-expire-days
+@vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
+The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
+local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
+the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
+just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
+important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
+article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
+read.
+Default 7.
-@node Diary Summary Line Format
-@subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
-@cindex diary summary buffer line
-@cindex diary summary line format
+@item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
+@vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
+Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
+retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
+you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
+you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
+have to enable expiration in selected groups.
-Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
-something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
-the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
-see the event's date.
+@end table
- @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
-summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
-for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
-while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
-next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
- For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
-@code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
-expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
+@node Agent Commands
+@subsection Agent Commands
+@findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
+@kindex J j (Agent)
-@example
- E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
-@end example
+All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
+(@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
+toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
-In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
-following line to your diary groups'parameters:
-@lisp
-(gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
-@end lisp
+@menu
+* Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
+* Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
+* Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
+@end menu
-However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
-Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
-with the following user options:
-@defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
-Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
-Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
-diary groups'parameters.
-@end defvar
-@defvar gnus-diary-time-format
-Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
-used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
-@end defvar
-@defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
-Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
-times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
-format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
-you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
-@end defvar
+@node Group Agent Commands
+@subsubsection Group Agent Commands
-@node Diary Articles Sorting
-@subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
-@cindex diary articles sorting
-@cindex diary summary lines sorting
-@findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
-@findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
-@findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
+@table @kbd
+@item J u
+@kindex J u (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
+Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
+(@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
-@code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
-Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
-@code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
-@code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
-your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
+@item J c
+@kindex J c (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
+Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
-@code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
-@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
-buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
-default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
-Parameters}).
+@item J s
+@kindex J s (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
+Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
+(@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
-@node Diary Headers Generation
-@subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
-@cindex diary headers generation
-@findex gnus-diary-check-message
+@item J S
+@kindex J S (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-group-send-queue
+Send all sendable messages in the queue group
+(@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
-@code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
-@code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
-headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
-required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
-needed.
+@item J a
+@kindex J a (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-agent-add-group
+Add the current group to an Agent category
+(@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
+process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
- This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
-moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
-automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
-@code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
-process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
+@item J r
+@kindex J r (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-agent-remove-group
+Remove the current group from its category, if any
+(@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
+process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
- This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
-all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
-you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
-instance.
+@item J Y
+@kindex J Y (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
+Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
-@node Diary Group Parameters
-@subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
-@cindex diary group parameters
-When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
-automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
-summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
-diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
-@code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
-to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
-on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
-automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
+@end table
-@node Sending or Not Sending
-@subsection Sending or Not Sending
-Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
-mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
+@node Summary Agent Commands
+@subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-@code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
-messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
-appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
-sending the diary message to them as well.
-@item
-However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
-can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
-message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
-comes in very handy for private appointments.
-@end itemize
+@table @kbd
+@item J #
+@kindex J # (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-mark-article
+Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
-@node Gnus Unplugged
-@section Gnus Unplugged
-@cindex offline
-@cindex unplugged
-@cindex agent
-@cindex Gnus agent
-@cindex Gnus unplugged
+@item J M-#
+@kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
+Remove the downloading mark from the article
+(@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
-In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
-on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
-was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
-read news. Believe it or not.
+@cindex %
+@item @@
+@kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
+Toggle whether to download the article
+(@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
+default.
-Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
-modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
-would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
-the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
-have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
+@item J c
+@kindex J c (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-catchup
+Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
-Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
-@code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
-for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
-functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
-reading news on a machine.
+@item J S
+@kindex J S (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
+Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
+(@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
-Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
-fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
-by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
+@item J s
+@kindex J s (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
+Download all processable articles in this group.
+(@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
-Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
+@item J u
+@kindex J u (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
+Download all downloadable articles in the current group
+(@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
-@menu
-* Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
-* Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
-* Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
-* Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
-* Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
-* Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
-* Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
-* Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
-* Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
-* Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
-* Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
-* Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
-* Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
-* Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
-@end menu
+@end table
-@node Agent Basics
-@subsection Agent Basics
+@node Server Agent Commands
+@subsubsection Server Agent Commands
-First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
+@table @kbd
+@item J a
+@kindex J a (Agent Server)
+@findex gnus-agent-add-server
+Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
+(@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
-The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
-connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
-When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
-Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
+@item J r
+@kindex J r (Agent Server)
+@findex gnus-agent-remove-server
+Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
+Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
-The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
-connected to the net continuously.
+@end table
-@dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
-machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
-You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
-shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
-is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
-say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
-you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
+@node Agent Visuals
+@subsection Agent Visuals
-Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
-that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
-can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
-servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
-they're kinda like plugged always).
+If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
+active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
+stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
+something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
+placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
+there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
+When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
+placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
+You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
+placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
-So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
-connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
-servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
-the culprit.
+While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
+available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
+fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
+way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
+less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
+adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
+the download status of each article so that you always know which
+articles will be available when unplugged.
-Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
-reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
-server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
-server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
-will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
+The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
+@code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
+a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
+Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
+will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
+other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
+@samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
+(@samp{ }) will be displayed.
-Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
+The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
+are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
+result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
+that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
+face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
+tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
+conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
+that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
+to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
-@itemize @bullet
+If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
+each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
+undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
+being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
+downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
+users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
+database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
+to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
+of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
+normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
-@item
-@findex gnus-unplugged
-You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
-Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
-already fetched while in this mode.
+If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
+undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
+group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
+parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
+a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
+(@pxref{Group Parameters}).
-@item
-You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
-your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
-to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
-as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
-Source Specifiers}).
+The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
+can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
+even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
+is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
+This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
+fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
+the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
+expiring'' articles.
-@item
-You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
-news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
-@kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
-all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
-articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
+@node Agent as Cache
+@subsection Agent as Cache
-@item
-After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
-unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
-then you read the news offline.
+When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
+articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
+Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
+in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
+buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
+are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
+consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
+article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
+server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
-@item
-And then you go to step 2.
-@end itemize
+If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
+@pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
+plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
+synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
+sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
-Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
-the Agent.
+@node Agent Expiry
+@subsection Agent Expiry
-@itemize @bullet
+@vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
+@findex gnus-agent-expire
+@kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
+@kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
+@findex gnus-agent-expire-group
+@cindex agent expiry
+@cindex Gnus agent expiry
+@cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
-@item
-Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
-back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
-Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
-@kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
-Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
-added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
-all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
-@code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
+The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
+least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
+special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
+commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
+@code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
+that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
+efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
+@kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
-@item
-Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
-you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
-parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
-is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
+Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
+might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
+synchronized with the group.
-Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
-(@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
-to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
-parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
-to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
-your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
-configure them.
+The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
+prevent expiration in selected groups.
-@item
-Uhm@dots{} that's it.
-@end itemize
+@vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
+If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
+expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
+and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
+are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
+be kept indefinitely.
+If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
+perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
+commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
+@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
-@node Agent Categories
-@subsection Agent Categories
+@node Agent Regeneration
+@subsection Agent Regeneration
-One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
-newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
-There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
-find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
-to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
-mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
-you're interested in the articles anyway.
+@cindex agent regeneration
+@cindex Gnus agent regeneration
+@cindex regeneration
-One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
-downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
-groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
-category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
-buffer for creating and managing categories.
+The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
+due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
+@code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
+to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
+internal inconsistencies.
-If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
-Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
-alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
-difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
-less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
-sink.
+For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
+downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
+know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
+failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
+@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
+such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
-Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
-a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
-the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
-parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
-variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
-of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
-your settings.
+@findex gnus-agent-regenerate
+@kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
+The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
+@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
+you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
+recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
-@menu
-* Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
-* Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
-* Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
-@end menu
+@findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
+@kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
+The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
+of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
+then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
+are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
+agent as unread.
+@node Agent and flags
+@subsection Agent and flags
-@node Category Syntax
-@subsubsection Category Syntax
+The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
+nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
+the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
+the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
+Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
+to the flags in its own files.
-A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
-category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
-customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
-listed below.
+When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
+changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
+server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
-@cindex Agent Parameters
-@table @code
-@item agent-groups
-The list of groups that are in this category.
+@vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
+If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
+never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
+the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
+ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
+any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
-@item agent-predicate
-A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
-are eligible for downloading; and
+If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
+re-connect, you can do it manually with the
+@code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
+in the group buffer.
-@item agent-score
-a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
-deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
-score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
+Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
+all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
+server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
+the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
+re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
+removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
+operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
+directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
-@item agent-enable-expiration
-a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
-this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
-fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
-only groups that should not be expired.
+@node Agent and IMAP
+@subsection Agent and IMAP
-@item agent-days-until-old
-an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
-before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
+The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
+since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
+@acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
+make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
-@item agent-low-score
-an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
+Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
+expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
-@item agent-high-score
-an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
+@itemize @bullet
-@item agent-short-article
-an integer that overrides the value of
-@code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
+@item
+Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
-@item agent-long-article
-an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
+@item
+Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
-@item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
-a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
-undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
-faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
-undownloaded faces.
-@end table
+@end itemize
-The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
-created.
+@node Outgoing Messages
+@subsection Outgoing Messages
-Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
-that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
-group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
-category.
+By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
+and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
+You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
-A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
-@code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
-article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
-predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
+You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
+(see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
+news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
-Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
-their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
-@code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
+You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
+commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
+group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
+Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
+mail at any time.
-To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
-download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
-operators sprinkled in between.
+If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
+about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
+ask you to confirm your action (see
+@code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
-Perhaps some examples are in order.
+@node Agent Variables
+@subsection Agent Variables
-Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
-for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
+@table @code
+@item gnus-agent
+@vindex gnus-agent
+Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
+the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
+automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
+back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
-@lisp
-short
-@end lisp
+To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
+(@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
-Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
-short (for some value of ``short'').
-Here's a more complex predicate:
+@item gnus-agent-directory
+@vindex gnus-agent-directory
+Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
+@file{~/News/agent/}.
-@lisp
-(or high
- (and
- (not low)
- (not long)))
-@end lisp
+@item gnus-agent-handle-level
+@vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
+Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
+be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
+which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
+by default.
-This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
-or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
-drift.
+@item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
+@vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
+Hook run when connecting to the network.
-The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
-@code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
-@samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
+@item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
+@vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
+Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
-The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
-you want to do, you can write your own.
+@item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
+@vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
+Hook run when finished fetching articles.
-When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
-bound to the value determined by calling
-@code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
-example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
-@code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
-means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
-predicate to individual groups.
+@item gnus-agent-cache
+@vindex gnus-agent-cache
+Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
+articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
+The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
-@table @code
-@item short
-True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
-lines; default 100.
+@item gnus-agent-go-online
+@vindex gnus-agent-go-online
+If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
+automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
+@code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
+offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
+other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
+online status.
-@item long
-True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
-lines; default 200.
+@item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
+@vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
+If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
+mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
+thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
+read. The default is @code{t}.
-@item low
-True if the article has a download score less than
-@code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
+@item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
+@vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
+If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
+never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
+the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
+ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
+any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
-@item high
-True if the article has a download score greater than
-@code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
+@item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
+@vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
+If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
+agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
+downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
+the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
+are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
+into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
+the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
+over and over again.
-@item spam
-True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
-heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
-checksum and sees whether articles match.
+@item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
+@vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
+The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
+them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
+the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
+have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
+limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
+performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
+connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
+@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
+However, all articles parsed prior to losing the connection will be
+available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
+see any cycling.
-@item true
-Always true.
+@item gnus-server-unopen-status
+@vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
+Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
+variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
+Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
+whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
+Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
+for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
+is only valid if the Agent is used.
-@item false
-Always false.
-@end table
+@item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
+@vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
+Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
+that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
+buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
+agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
-If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
-to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
-@code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
-useful values.
+The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
+@code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
+have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
+ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
+(maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
-For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
-that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
-more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
-something along the lines of the following:
+@item gnus-agent-queue-mail
+@vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
+When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
+queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
+will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
+mail. The default is @code{t}.
-@lisp
-(defun my-article-old-p ()
- "Say whether an article is old."
- (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
- (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
-@end lisp
+@item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
+@vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
+When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
+prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
+@kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
-with the predicate then defined as:
+@item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
+@vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
+If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
+@file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
+automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
+which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
+to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
+as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
+If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
+removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
+start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
-@lisp
-(not my-article-old-p)
-@end lisp
+@end table
-or you could append your predicate to the predefined
-@code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
-wherever.
-@lisp
-(require 'gnus-agent)
-(setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
- (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
- '((old . my-article-old-p))))
-@end lisp
+@node Example Setup
+@subsection Example Setup
-and simply specify your predicate as:
+If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
+setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
+@file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
@lisp
-(not old)
-@end lisp
+;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
+;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
+(setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
-If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
-misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
-always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
-just don't give a damn.
+;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
+;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
+(setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
-The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
-category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
-individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
-new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
-parameters like so:
+;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
+(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
-@lisp
-(agent-predicate . short)
+;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
+;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
+;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
@end lisp
-This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
-Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
-@code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
+That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
+edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
+gnus}.
-The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
+If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
+automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
+subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
+@acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
+command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
+once.
-@lisp
-(agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
-@end lisp
+After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
+groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
+command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
+subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
+back all the killed groups.)
-The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
-entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
-predicate is assumed to be a list.
+You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
+with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
+find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
-Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
-normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
-seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
-following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
-@code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
-@code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
+@node Batching Agents
+@subsection Batching Agents
+@findex gnus-agent-batch
+
+Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
+written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
+following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
+
+You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
+following incantation:
-As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
-to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
-it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
-if it's to be specific to that group.
+@example
+#!/bin/sh
+emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
+@end example
-In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
-three forms:
-@enumerate
-@item
-Score rule
+@node Agent Caveats
+@subsection Agent Caveats
-This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
-subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
+The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
+newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
+may ask:
-example:
+@table @dfn
+@item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-Category specification
+@strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
+@code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
+@code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
-@lisp
-(("from"
- ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
-("lines"
- (500 -100 nil <)))
-@end lisp
+@item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
+the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
-@item
-Group/Topic Parameter specification
+@strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
-@lisp
-(agent-score ("from"
- ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
- ("lines"
- (500 -100 nil <)))
-@end lisp
+@end table
-Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
-@end itemize
+In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
+articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
+locally stored articles.
-@item
-Agent score file
-These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
-keywords stated above.
+@node Scoring
+@chapter Scoring
+@cindex scoring
-example:
+Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
+scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
+something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
+attention!
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-Category specification
+@vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
+All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
+which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
+interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
+@code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
-@lisp
-("~/News/agent.SCORE")
-@end lisp
+Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
+before generating the summary buffer.
-or perhaps
+There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
+entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
+lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
-@lisp
-("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
-@end lisp
+There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
+Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
+temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
+silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
-@item
-Group Parameter specification
+@menu
+* Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
+* Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
+* Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
+* Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
+* Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
+* Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
+* Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
+* Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
+* Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
+* Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
+* Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
+* Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
+* Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
+* Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
+* Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
+* Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
+@end menu
-@lisp
-(agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
-@end lisp
-Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
-about parenthesis?
-@end itemize
+@node Summary Score Commands
+@section Summary Score Commands
+@cindex score commands
-@item
-Use @code{normal} score files
+The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
+score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
+previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
+@dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
+entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
-If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
-your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
-@code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
-@code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
+The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
+if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
+some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
+score file the current one.
-These directives in either the category definition or a group's
-parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
-files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
-relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
+General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-Category Specification
+@table @kbd
-@lisp
-file
-@end lisp
+@item V s
+@kindex V s (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-set-score
+Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
-@item
-Group Parameter specification
+@item V S
+@kindex V S (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-current-score
+Display the score of the current article
+(@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
-@lisp
-(agent-score . file)
-@end lisp
-@end itemize
-@end enumerate
+@item V t
+@kindex V t (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-find-trace
+Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
+(@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
+may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
+current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
+score file and edit it.
-@node Category Buffer
-@subsubsection Category Buffer
+@item V w
+@kindex V w (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
+List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
-You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
-When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
-the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
+@item V R
+@kindex V R (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-rescore
+Run the current summary through the scoring process
+(@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
+around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
+effect you're having.
-The following commands are available in this buffer:
+@item V c
+@kindex V c (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-change-score-file
+Make a different score file the current
+(@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
-@table @kbd
-@item q
-@kindex q (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-exit
-Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
+@item V e
+@kindex V e (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
+Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
+You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
+File Editing}).
-@item e
-@kindex e (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-customize-category
-Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
-parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
+@item V f
+@kindex V f (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-edit-file
+Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
+(@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
-@item k
-@kindex k (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-kill
-Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
+@item V F
+@kindex V F (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-flush-cache
+Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
+after editing score files.
-@item c
-@kindex c (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-copy
-Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
+@item V C
+@kindex V C (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-customize
+Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
+(@code{gnus-score-customize}).
-@item a
-@kindex a (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-add
-Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
+@end table
-@item p
-@kindex p (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
-Edit the predicate of the current category
-(@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
+The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
-@item g
-@kindex g (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-edit-groups
-Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
-(@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
+@table @kbd
-@item s
-@kindex s (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-edit-score
-Edit the download score rule of the current category
-(@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
+@item V m
+@kindex V m (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
+Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
+read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
-@item l
-@kindex l (Category)
-@findex gnus-category-list
-List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
+@item V x
+@kindex V x (Summary)
+@findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
+Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
+expunge all articles below this score
+(@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
@end table
+The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
+pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
+them.)
-@node Category Variables
-@subsubsection Category Variables
+@findex gnus-summary-increase-score
+@findex gnus-summary-lower-score
-@table @code
-@item gnus-category-mode-hook
-@vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
-Hook run in category buffers.
+@enumerate
+@item
+The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
+or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
+@item
+The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
+keys are available:
+@table @kbd
-@item gnus-category-line-format
-@vindex gnus-category-line-format
-Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
-Variables}). Valid elements are:
+@item a
+Score on the author name.
-@table @samp
-@item c
-The name of the category.
+@item s
+Score on the subject line.
-@item g
-The number of groups in the category.
-@end table
+@item x
+Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
-@item gnus-category-mode-line-format
-@vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
-Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
+@item r
+Score on the @code{References} line.
-@item gnus-agent-short-article
-@vindex gnus-agent-short-article
-Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
+@item d
+Score on the date.
-@item gnus-agent-long-article
-@vindex gnus-agent-long-article
-Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
+@item l
+Score on the number of lines.
-@item gnus-agent-low-score
-@vindex gnus-agent-low-score
-Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
-0.
+@item i
+Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
-@item gnus-agent-high-score
-@vindex gnus-agent-high-score
-Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
-0.
+@item e
+Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
+if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
-@item gnus-agent-expire-days
-@vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
-The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
-local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
-the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
-just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
-important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
-article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
-read.
-Default 7.
+@item f
+Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
+the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
+@file{ADAPT} files.)
-@item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
-@vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
-Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
-retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
-you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
-you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
-have to enable expiration in selected groups.
+@item b
+Score on the body.
-@end table
+@item h
+Score on the head.
+@item t
+Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
+files.)
-@node Agent Commands
-@subsection Agent Commands
-@findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
-@kindex J j (Agent)
+@end table
-All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
-(@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
-toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
+@item
+The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
+what headers you are scoring on.
+@table @code
-@menu
-* Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
-* Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
-* Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
-@end menu
+@item strings
+@table @kbd
+@item e
+Exact matching.
+@item s
+Substring matching.
-@node Group Agent Commands
-@subsubsection Group Agent Commands
+@item f
+Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
-@table @kbd
-@item J u
-@kindex J u (Agent Group)
-@findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
-Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
-(@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
+@item r
+Regexp matching
+@end table
-@item J c
-@kindex J c (Agent Group)
-@findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
-Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
+@item date
+@table @kbd
-@item J s
-@kindex J s (Agent Group)
-@findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
-Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
-(@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
+@item b
+Before date.
-@item J S
-@kindex J S (Agent Group)
-@findex gnus-group-send-queue
-Send all sendable messages in the queue group
-(@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
+@item a
+After date.
-@item J a
-@kindex J a (Agent Group)
-@findex gnus-agent-add-group
-Add the current group to an Agent category
-(@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
-process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+@item n
+This date.
+@end table
-@item J r
-@kindex J r (Agent Group)
-@findex gnus-agent-remove-group
-Remove the current group from its category, if any
-(@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
-process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+@item number
+@table @kbd
-@item J Y
-@kindex J Y (Agent Group)
-@findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
-Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
+@item <
+Less than number.
+@item =
+Equal to number.
+@item >
+Greater than number.
+@end table
@end table
+@item
+The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
+expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
+or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
+file.
+@table @kbd
-@node Summary Agent Commands
-@subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
+@item t
+Temporary score entry.
-@table @kbd
-@item J #
-@kindex J # (Agent Summary)
-@findex gnus-agent-mark-article
-Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
+@item p
+Permanent score entry.
-@item J M-#
-@kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
-@findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
-Remove the downloading mark from the article
-(@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
+@item i
+Immediately scoring.
+@end table
-@cindex %
-@item @@
-@kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
-@findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
-Toggle whether to download the article
-(@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
-default.
+@item
+If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
+the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
+in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
-@item J c
-@kindex J c (Agent Summary)
-@findex gnus-agent-catchup
-Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
+@end enumerate
-@item J S
-@kindex J S (Agent Summary)
-@findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
-Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
-(@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
+So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
+exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
+score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
+temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
-@item J s
-@kindex J s (Agent Summary)
-@findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
-Download all processable articles in this group.
-(@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
+To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
+a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
+defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
+``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
+t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
-@item J u
-@kindex J u (Agent Summary)
-@findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
-Download all downloadable articles in the current group
-(@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
+These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
+(@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
+(or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
+says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
+current score file.
-@end table
+@vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
+The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
+pretend they are keymaps or not.
-@node Server Agent Commands
-@subsubsection Server Agent Commands
+@node Group Score Commands
+@section Group Score Commands
+@cindex group score commands
+
+There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
@table @kbd
-@item J a
-@kindex J a (Agent Server)
-@findex gnus-agent-add-server
-Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
-(@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
-@item J r
-@kindex J r (Agent Server)
-@findex gnus-agent-remove-server
-Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
-Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
+@item W e
+@kindex W e (Group)
+@findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
+Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
+a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
+
+@item W f
+@kindex W f (Group)
+@findex gnus-score-flush-cache
+Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
+all the time. This command will flush the cache
+(@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
@end table
+You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
-@node Agent Visuals
-@subsection Agent Visuals
+@findex gnus-batch-score
+@cindex batch scoring
+@example
+$ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
+@end example
-If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
-active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
-stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
-something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
-placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
-there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
-When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
-placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
-You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
-placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
-While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
-available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
-fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
-way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
-less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
-adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
-the download status of each article so that you always know which
-articles will be available when unplugged.
+@node Score Variables
+@section Score Variables
+@cindex score variables
-The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
-@code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
-a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
-Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
-will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
-other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
-@samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
-(@samp{ }) will be displayed.
+@table @code
-The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
-are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
-result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
-that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
-face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
-tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
-conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
-that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
-to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
+@item gnus-use-scoring
+@vindex gnus-use-scoring
+If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
+general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
-If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
-each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
-undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
-being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
-downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
-users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
-database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
-to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
-of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
-normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
+@item gnus-kill-killed
+@vindex gnus-kill-killed
+If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
+articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
+may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
+to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
+group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
+variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
-If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
-undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
-group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
-parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
-a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
-(@pxref{Group Parameters}).
+@item gnus-kill-files-directory
+@vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
+All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
+initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
+This is @file{~/News/} by default.
-The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
-can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
-even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
-is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
-This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
-fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
-the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
-expiring'' articles.
+@item gnus-score-file-suffix
+@vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
+Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
+(@file{SCORE} by default.)
-@node Agent as Cache
-@subsection Agent as Cache
+@item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
+@vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
+@cindex score cache
+All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
+score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
+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
+@file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
+@file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
+variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
+be cached.
-When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
-articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
-Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
-in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
-buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
-are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
-consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
-article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
-server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
+@item gnus-save-score
+@vindex gnus-save-score
+If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
+scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
+Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
-If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
-@pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
-plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
-synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
-sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
+If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
+with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
+across group visits.
-@node Agent Expiry
-@subsection Agent Expiry
+@item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
+@vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
+Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
+score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
+ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
+We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
+manually entered data.
-@vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
-@findex gnus-agent-expire
-@kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
-@kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
-@findex gnus-agent-expire-group
-@cindex agent expiry
-@cindex Gnus agent expiry
-@cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
+@item gnus-summary-default-score
+@vindex gnus-summary-default-score
+Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
-The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
-least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
-special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
-commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
-@code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
-that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
-efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
-@kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
+@item gnus-summary-expunge-below
+@vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
+Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
+this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
+articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
+and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
-Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
-might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
-synchronized with the group.
+@item gnus-score-over-mark
+@vindex gnus-score-over-mark
+Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
+default. Default is @samp{+}.
-The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
-prevent expiration in selected groups.
+@item gnus-score-below-mark
+@vindex gnus-score-below-mark
+Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
+default. Default is @samp{-}.
-@vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
-If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
-expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
-and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
-are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
-be kept indefinitely.
+@item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
+@vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
+Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
+is called with the name of the group as the argument.
-If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
-perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
-commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
-@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
+Predefined functions available are:
+@table @code
-@node Agent Regeneration
-@subsection Agent Regeneration
+@item gnus-score-find-single
+@findex gnus-score-find-single
+Only apply the group's own score file.
-@cindex agent regeneration
-@cindex Gnus agent regeneration
-@cindex regeneration
+@item gnus-score-find-bnews
+@findex gnus-score-find-bnews
+Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
+default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
+@file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
+@file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
+@samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
+then a regexp match is done.
-The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
-due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
-@code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
-to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
-internal inconsistencies.
+This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
+all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
-For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
-downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
-know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
-failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
-@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
-such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
+The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
+try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
+files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
+file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
-@findex gnus-agent-regenerate
-@kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
-The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
-@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
-you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
-recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
+@item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
+@findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
+Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
+can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
+@file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
+server.
-@findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
-@kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
-The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
-of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
-then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
-are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
-agent as unread.
+@end table
+This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
+these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
+all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
+functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
+that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
+should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
+ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
+Phu.
-@node Agent and flags
-@subsection Agent and flags
+For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
+overall score file, you could use the value
+@example
+(list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
+ 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
+@end example
-The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
-nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
-the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
-the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
-Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
-to the flags in its own files.
+@item gnus-score-expiry-days
+@vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
+This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
+entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
+are expired. It's 7 by default.
-When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
-changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
-server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
+@item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
+@vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
+If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
+been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
+controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
+matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
+variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
+have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
-@vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
-If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
-never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
-the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
-ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
-any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
+@item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
+@vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
+Function called with the name of the score file just written.
-If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
-re-connect, you can do it manually with the
-@code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
-in the group buffer.
+@item gnus-score-thread-simplify
+@vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
+If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
+simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
+threading---according to the current value of
+@code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
+@code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
+simplified in this manner.
-Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
-all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
-server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
-the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
-re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
-removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
-operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
-directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
+@end table
-@node Agent and IMAP
-@subsection Agent and IMAP
-The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
-since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
-@acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
-make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
+@node Score File Format
+@section Score File Format
+@cindex score file format
-Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
-expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
+A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
+single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
+everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
-@itemize @bullet
+Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
-@item
-Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
+@lisp
+(("from"
+ ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
+ ("Per Abrahamsen")
+ ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
+ ("subject"
+ ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
+ ("xref"
+ ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
+ ("lines"
+ (2 -100 nil <))
+ (mark 0)
+ (expunge -1000)
+ (mark-and-expunge -10)
+ (read-only nil)
+ (orphan -10)
+ (adapt t)
+ (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
+ (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
+ (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
+ (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
+ (eval (ding)))
+@end lisp
-@item
-Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
+This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
+Scoring}, for a different approach.
-@end itemize
+Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
+@code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
+has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
-@node Outgoing Messages
-@subsection Outgoing Messages
+Six keys are supported by this alist:
-By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
-and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
-You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
+@table @code
-You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
-(see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
-news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
+@item STRING
+If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
+match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
+@code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
+@code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
+these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
+article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
+will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
+perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
+perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
+last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
+final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
+entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
+to articles that matches these score entries.
-You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
-commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
-group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
-Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
-mail at any time.
+Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
+score entry has one to four elements.
+@enumerate
-If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
-about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
-ask you to confirm your action (see
-@code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
+@item
+The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
+be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
+integer.
-@node Agent Variables
-@subsection Agent Variables
+@item
+If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
+element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
+interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
+is successful. If this element is not present, the
+@code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
+instead. This is 1000 by default.
-@table @code
-@item gnus-agent
-@vindex gnus-agent
-Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
-the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
-automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
-back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
+@item
+If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
+element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
+which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
+element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
+represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
-To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
-(@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
+@item
+If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
+element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
+whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
+be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
+@table @dfn
+@item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
+For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
+well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
+@code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
+element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
+be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
+that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
+one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
+@code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
+instead, if you feel like.
-@item gnus-agent-directory
-@vindex gnus-agent-directory
-Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
-@file{~/News/agent/}.
+@item Extra
+Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
+gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
+case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
+header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
+@file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
+host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
+overviews:
-@item gnus-agent-handle-level
-@vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
-Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
-be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
-which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
-by default.
+@lisp
+("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
+ "NNTP-Posting-Host")
+@end lisp
-@item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
-@vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
-Hook run when connecting to the network.
+@item Lines, Chars
+These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
+@code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
-@item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
-@vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
-Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
+These predicates are true if
-@item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
-@vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
-Hook run when finished fetching articles.
+@example
+(PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
+@end example
+
+evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
+@code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
+following form:
-@item gnus-agent-cache
-@vindex gnus-agent-cache
-Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
-articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
-The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
+@lisp
+(< header-value 4)
+@end lisp
-@item gnus-agent-go-online
-@vindex gnus-agent-go-online
-If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
-automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
-@code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
-offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
-other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
-online status.
+Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
+the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
+(It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
+it's not. I think.)
-@item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
-@vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
-If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
-mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
-thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
-read. The default is @code{t}.
+When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
+@code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
+up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
+you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
-@item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
-@vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
-If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
-never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
-the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
-ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
-any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
+@item Date
+For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
+@code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
+ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
+this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
+Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
+sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
+quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
-@item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
-@vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
-If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
-agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
-downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
-the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
-are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
-into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
-the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
-over and over again.
+@cindex ISO8601
+@cindex date
+A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
+date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
+ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
+you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
+every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
+for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
+this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
+the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
+whole family, eh?)
-@item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
-@vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
-The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
-them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
-the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
-have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
-limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
-performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
-connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
-@code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
-However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
-available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
-see any cycling.
+@item Head, Body, All
+These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
+header uses.
-@item gnus-server-unopen-status
-@vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
-Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
-variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
-Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
-whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
-Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
-for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
-is only valid if the Agent is used.
+@item Followup
+This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
+@code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
+articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
+you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
+decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
+trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
+uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
+files.)
-@item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
-@vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
-Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
-that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
-buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
-agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
+@item Thread
+This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
+key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
+article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
+match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
+has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
+matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
+This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
+even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
+@code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
+undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
+key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
+@end table
+@end enumerate
-The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
-@code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
-have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
-ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
-(maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
+@cindex score file atoms
+@item mark
+The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
+lower than this number will be marked as read.
-@item gnus-agent-queue-mail
-@vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
-When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
-queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
-will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
-mail. The default is @code{t}.
+@item expunge
+The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
+lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
-@item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
-@vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
-When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
-prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
-@kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
+@item mark-and-expunge
+The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
+lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
+summary buffer.
-@item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
-@vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
-If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
-@file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
-automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
-which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
-to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
-as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
-If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
-removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
-start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
+@item thread-mark-and-expunge
+The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
+a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
+and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
+says how to compute the total score for a thread.
-@end table
+@item files
+The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
+are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
+this one was.
+@item exclude-files
+The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
+not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
+other.
-@node Example Setup
-@subsection Example Setup
+@item eval
+The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
+ignored when handling global score files.
-If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
-setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
-@file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
+@item read-only
+Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
+should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
+@dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
+apply-to-all-groups score files.)
-@lisp
-;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
-;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
-(setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
+@item orphan
+The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
+parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
+some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
+will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
-;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
-;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
-(setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
+You can do this with the following two score file entries:
-;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
-(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
+@example
+ (orphan -500)
+ (mark-and-expunge -100)
+@end example
-;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
-;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
-;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
-@end lisp
+When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
+threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
+interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
+rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
+interesting threads, plus any new threads.
-That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
-edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
-gnus}.
+I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
+interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
+scoring rules exist.
-If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
-automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
-subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
-@acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
-command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
-once.
+@item adapt
+This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
+default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
+adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
+list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
+or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
+adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
+scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
+@code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
+not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
+groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
+insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
+it.
-After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
-groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
-command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
-subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
-back all the killed groups.)
+@item adapt-file
+All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
+will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
+if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
+file for a number of groups.
-You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
-with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
-find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
+@item local
+@cindex local variables
+The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
+@var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
+current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
+convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
+groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
+be evaluated.
+@end table
-@node Batching Agents
-@subsection Batching Agents
-@findex gnus-agent-batch
+@node Score File Editing
+@section Score File Editing
-Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
-written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
-following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
+You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
+might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
+with a mode for that.
-You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
-following incantation:
+It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
+additional commands:
-@example
-#!/bin/sh
-emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
-@end example
+@table @kbd
+@item C-c C-c
+@kindex C-c C-c (Score)
+@findex gnus-score-edit-exit
+Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
+(@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
-@node Agent Caveats
-@subsection Agent Caveats
+@item C-c C-d
+@kindex C-c C-d (Score)
+@findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
+Insert the current date in numerical format
+(@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
+you were wondering.
-The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
-newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
-may ask:
+@item C-c C-p
+@kindex C-c C-p (Score)
+@findex gnus-score-pretty-print
+The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
+intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
+first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
+you.
-@table @dfn
-@item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
+@end table
-@strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
-@code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
-@code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
+Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
-@item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
-the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
+@vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
+@code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
-@strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
+In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
+@kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
-@end table
-In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
-articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
-locally stored articles.
+@node Adaptive Scoring
+@section Adaptive Scoring
+@cindex adaptive scoring
+If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
+happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
+stupidity, to be precise.
-@node Scoring
-@chapter Scoring
-@cindex scoring
+@vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
+When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
+article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
+these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
+You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
+@code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
+words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
+@code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
+variable to @code{(word line)}.
-Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
-scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
-something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
-attention!
+@vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
+To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
+the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
+might look something like this:
-@vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
-All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
-which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
-interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
-@code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
+ '((gnus-unread-mark)
+ (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
+ (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
+ (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
+ (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
+ (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
+ (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
+ (gnus-kill-file-mark)
+ (gnus-ancient-mark)
+ (gnus-low-score-mark)
+ (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
+@end lisp
-Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
-before generating the summary buffer.
+As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
+variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
+a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
+pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
+that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
+@code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
+entries.
-There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
-entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
-lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
+Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
+will be applied to each article.
-There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
-Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
-temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
-silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
+To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
+articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
+score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
+lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
-@menu
-* Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
-* Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
-* Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
-* Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
-* Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
-* Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
-* Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
-* Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
-* Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
-* Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
-* Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
-* Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
-* Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
-* Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
-* Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
-* Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
-@end menu
+If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
+@code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
+That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
+should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
+If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
+the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
+probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
+adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
-@node Summary Score Commands
-@section Summary Score Commands
-@cindex score commands
+The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
+@code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
+@code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
+@code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
+on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
+current article, thereby matching the following thread.
-The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
-score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
-previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
-@dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
-entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
+If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
+to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
+changes result in articles getting marked as read.
-The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
-if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
-some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
-score file the current one.
+After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
+become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
+the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
-General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
+You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
+by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
+let you use different rules in different groups.
-@table @kbd
+@vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
+The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
+group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
+is @file{ADAPT}.
-@item V s
-@kindex V s (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-set-score
-Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
+@vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
+Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
+human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
+default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
-@item V S
-@kindex V S (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-current-score
-Display the score of the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
+@vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
+When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
+give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
+matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
+the length of the match is less than
+@code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
+this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
+this problem.
-@item V t
-@kindex V t (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-find-trace
-Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
-(@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
-may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
-current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
-score file and edit it.
+@vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
+As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
+headers. If you adapt on words, the
+@code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
+each instance of a word should add given a mark.
-@item V w
-@kindex V w (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
-List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
+ `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
+ (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
+ (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
+ (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
+@end lisp
-@item V R
-@kindex V R (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-rescore
-Run the current summary through the scoring process
-(@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
-around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
-effect you're having.
+This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
+word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
+@code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
+score with 30 points.
-@item V c
-@kindex V c (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-change-score-file
-Make a different score file the current
-(@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
+@vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
+@vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
+Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
+will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
+@code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
-@item V e
-@kindex V e (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
-Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
-You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
-File Editing}).
+@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
+Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
+scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
+an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
+variable defaults to @code{nil}.
-@item V f
-@kindex V f (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-edit-file
-Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
-(@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
+@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
+When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
+syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
+it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
-@item V F
-@kindex V F (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-flush-cache
-Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
-after editing score files.
+@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
+If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
+word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
+below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
-@item V C
-@kindex V C (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-customize
-Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
-(@code{gnus-score-customize}).
+@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
+If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
+won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
+for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
+lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
-@end table
+After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
+@code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
+what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
-The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
+Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
+likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
+that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
+rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
-@table @kbd
-@item V m
-@kindex V m (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
-Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
-read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
+@node Home Score File
+@section Home Score File
-@item V x
-@kindex V x (Summary)
-@findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
-Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
-expunge all articles below this score
-(@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
-@end table
+The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
+@dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
+for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
+@samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
-The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
-pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
-them.)
+However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
+a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
+could perhaps use the same home score file.
-@findex gnus-summary-increase-score
-@findex gnus-summary-lower-score
+@vindex gnus-home-score-file
+The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
+be:
@enumerate
@item
-The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
-or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
+A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
+groups.
+
@item
-The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
-keys are available:
-@table @kbd
+A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
+file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
+parameter.
-@item a
-Score on the author name.
+@item
+A list. The elements in this list can be:
-@item s
-Score on the subject line.
+@enumerate
+@item
+@code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
+group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
-@item x
-Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
+@item
+A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
+be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
+name of the group as the parameter.
-@item r
-Score on the @code{References} line.
+@item
+A string. Use the string as the home score file.
+@end enumerate
-@item d
-Score on the date.
+The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
+for matches.
-@item l
-Score on the number of lines.
+@end enumerate
-@item i
-Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
+So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
-@item e
-Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
-if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-home-score-file
+ "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
+@end lisp
-@item f
-Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
-the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
-@file{ADAPT} files.)
+If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
+@file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
-@item b
-Score on the body.
+@findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-home-score-file
+ 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
+@end lisp
-@item h
-Score on the head.
+This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
+Other functions include
-@item t
-Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
-files.)
+@table @code
+@item gnus-current-home-score-file
+@findex gnus-current-home-score-file
+Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
+commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
@end table
-@item
-The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
-what headers you are scoring on.
+If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
+another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
+their own home score files:
-@table @code
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-home-score-file
+ ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
+ '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
+ ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
+ ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
+@end lisp
-@item strings
+@vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
+@code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
+@code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
+is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
+specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
-@table @kbd
+In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
+@code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
+(@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
+Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
+precedence over this variable.
-@item e
-Exact matching.
-@item s
-Substring matching.
+@node Followups To Yourself
+@section Followups To Yourself
-@item f
-Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
+Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
+the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
+this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
+articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
+respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
+to easily note when people answer what you've said.
-@item r
-Regexp matching
-@end table
+@table @code
-@item date
-@table @kbd
+@item gnus-score-followup-article
+@findex gnus-score-followup-article
+This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
+article.
-@item b
-Before date.
+@item gnus-score-followup-thread
+@findex gnus-score-followup-thread
+This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
+your own article.
+@end table
-@item a
-After date.
+@vindex message-sent-hook
+These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
+@code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
+@end lisp
-@item n
-This date.
-@end table
-@item number
-@table @kbd
+If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
+the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
+mine:
-@item <
-Less than number.
+@example
+<x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
+<x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
+@end example
-@item =
-Equal to number.
+So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
+exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
+myself:
-@item >
-Greater than number.
-@end table
-@end table
+@lisp
+("references"
+ ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
+ 1000 nil r))
+@end lisp
-@item
-The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
-expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
-or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
-file.
-@table @kbd
+Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
+is system-dependent.
-@item t
-Temporary score entry.
-@item p
-Permanent score entry.
+@node Scoring On Other Headers
+@section Scoring On Other Headers
+@cindex scoring on other headers
-@item i
-Immediately scoring.
-@end table
+Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
+headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
+other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
+that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
+matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
-@item
-If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
-the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
-in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
+@vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
+You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
+variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
+@code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
+the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
+inhibited for all groups.
-@end enumerate
+Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
+mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
+it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
+a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
+@samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
-So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
-exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
-score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
-temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
+Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
-To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
-a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
-defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
-``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
-t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
+ nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
+@end lisp
-These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
-(@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
-(or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
-says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
-current score file.
+Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
+@kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
+time if you have much mail.
-@vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
-The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
-pretend they are keymaps or not.
+Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
+so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
+See? Simple.
-@node Group Score Commands
-@section Group Score Commands
-@cindex group score commands
-There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
+@node Scoring Tips
+@section Scoring Tips
+@cindex scoring tips
-@table @kbd
+@table @dfn
-@item W e
-@kindex W e (Group)
-@findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
-Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
-a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
+@item Crossposts
+@cindex crossposts
+@cindex scoring crossposts
+If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
+the @code{Xref} header.
+@lisp
+("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
+@end lisp
-@item W f
-@kindex W f (Group)
-@findex gnus-score-flush-cache
-Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
-all the time. This command will flush the cache
-(@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
+@item Multiple crossposts
+If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
+more than, say, 3 groups:
+@lisp
+("xref"
+ ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
+ -1000 nil r))
+@end lisp
+
+@item Matching on the body
+This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
+Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
+you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
+keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
+and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
+will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
+@code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
+the matches.
+
+@item Marking as read
+You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
+number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
+in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
+@lisp
+((mark -100))
+@end lisp
+You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
+@item Negated character classes
+If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
+That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
+@code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
@end table
-You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
-@findex gnus-batch-score
-@cindex batch scoring
-@example
-$ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
-@end example
+@node Reverse Scoring
+@section Reverse Scoring
+@cindex reverse scoring
+
+If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
+subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
+like this in your score file:
+@lisp
+(("subject"
+ ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
+ (mark 1)
+ (expunge 1))
+@end lisp
-@node Score Variables
-@section Score Variables
-@cindex score variables
+So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
+rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
-@table @code
-@item gnus-use-scoring
-@vindex gnus-use-scoring
-If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
-general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
+@node Global Score Files
+@section Global Score Files
+@cindex global score files
-@item gnus-kill-killed
-@vindex gnus-kill-killed
-If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
-articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
-may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
-to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
-group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
-variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
+Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
+nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
+in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
-@item gnus-kill-files-directory
-@vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
-All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
-initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
-This is @file{~/News/} by default.
+What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
+all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
+big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
-@item gnus-score-file-suffix
-@vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
-Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
-(@file{SCORE} by default.)
+@vindex gnus-global-score-files
+All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
+@code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
+or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
+files are applicable to which group.
-@item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
-@vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
-@cindex score cache
-All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
-score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
-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
-@file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
-@file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
-variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
-be cached.
+To use the score file
+@file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
+all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
+say this:
-@item gnus-save-score
-@vindex gnus-save-score
-If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
-scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
-Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-global-score-files
+ '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
+ "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
+@end lisp
-If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
-with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
-across group visits.
+@findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
+@noindent
+Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
+directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
+If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
+use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
-@item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
-@vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
-Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
-score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
-ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
-We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
-manually entered data.
+Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
+somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
-@item gnus-summary-default-score
-@vindex gnus-summary-default-score
-Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
+If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
+just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
+world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
+wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
+sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
+premises! Yay! The net is saved!
-@item gnus-summary-expunge-below
-@vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
-Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
-this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
-articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
-and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
+Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
+head:
-@item gnus-score-over-mark
-@vindex gnus-score-over-mark
-Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
-default. Default is @samp{+}.
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
+@item
+To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
+@item
+Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
+@item
+Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
+lowered out of existence.
+@item
+Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
+articles completely.
-@item gnus-score-below-mark
-@vindex gnus-score-below-mark
-Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
-default. Default is @samp{-}.
+@item
+Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
+should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
+old articles for a long time.
+@end itemize
-@item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
-@vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
-Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
-is called with the name of the group as the argument.
+@dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
+in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
+Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
+holding our breath yet?
-Predefined functions available are:
-@table @code
-@item gnus-score-find-single
-@findex gnus-score-find-single
-Only apply the group's own score file.
+@node Kill Files
+@section Kill Files
+@cindex kill files
-@item gnus-score-find-bnews
-@findex gnus-score-find-bnews
-Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
-default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
-@file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
-@file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
-@samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
-then a regexp match is done.
+Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
+entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
+Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
-This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
-all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
+In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
+than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
+files into score files.
-The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
-try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
-files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
-file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
+Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
+forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
+sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
+that isn't a very good idea.
-@item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
-@findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
-Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
-can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
-@file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
-server.
+Normal kill files look like this:
-@end table
-This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
-these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
-all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
-functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
-that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
-should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
-ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
-Phu.
+@lisp
+(gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+(gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
+(gnus-expunge "X")
+@end lisp
-For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
-overall score file, you could use the value
-@example
-(list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
- 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
-@end example
+This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
+marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
-@item gnus-score-expiry-days
-@vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
-This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
-entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
-are expired. It's 7 by default.
+Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
+encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
+interpreting it.
-@item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
-@vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
-If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
-been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
-controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
-matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
-variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
-have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
+Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
-@item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
-@vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
-Function called with the name of the score file just written.
+@table @kbd
-@item gnus-score-thread-simplify
-@vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
-If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
-simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
-threading---according to the current value of
-@code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
-@code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
-simplified in this manner.
+@item M-k
+@kindex M-k (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
+Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
+@item M-K
+@kindex M-K (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
+Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
@end table
+Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
-@node Score File Format
-@section Score File Format
-@cindex score file format
-
-A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
-single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
-everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
+@table @kbd
-Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
+@item M-k
+@kindex M-k (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
+Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
-@lisp
-(("from"
- ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
- ("Per Abrahamsen")
- ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
- ("subject"
- ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
- ("xref"
- ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
- ("lines"
- (2 -100 nil <))
- (mark 0)
- (expunge -1000)
- (mark-and-expunge -10)
- (read-only nil)
- (orphan -10)
- (adapt t)
- (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
- (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
- (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
- (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
- (eval (ding)))
-@end lisp
+@item M-K
+@kindex M-K (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
+Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
+@end table
-This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
-Scoring}, for a different approach.
+Kill file variables:
-Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
-@code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
-has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
+@table @code
+@item gnus-kill-file-name
+@vindex gnus-kill-file-name
+A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
+@file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
+this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
+The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
+course) is just called @file{KILL}.
-Six keys are supported by this alist:
+@vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
+@item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
+If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
+kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
+kills.
-@table @code
+@item gnus-apply-kill-hook
+@vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
+@findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
+@findex gnus-apply-kill-file
+A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
+@code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
+kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
+hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
+kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
-@item STRING
-If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
-match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
-@code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
-@code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
-these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
-article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
-will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
-perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
-perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
-last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
-final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
-entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
-to articles that matches these score entries.
+@item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
+@vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
+A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
-Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
-score entry has one to four elements.
-@enumerate
+@end table
-@item
-The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
-be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
-integer.
-@item
-If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
-element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
-interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
-is successful. If this element is not present, the
-@code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
-instead. This is 1000 by default.
+@node Converting Kill Files
+@section Converting Kill Files
+@cindex kill files
+@cindex converting kill files
-@item
-If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
-element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
-which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
-element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
-represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
+If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
+score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
+the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
+by hand.
-@item
-If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
-element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
-whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
-be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
-@table @dfn
+The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
+You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
+from
+@uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
-@item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
-For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
-well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
-@code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
-element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
-be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
-that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
-one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
-@code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
-instead, if you feel like.
+If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
+non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
+hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
+before.
-@item Extra
-Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
-gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
-case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
-header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
-@file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
-host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
-overviews:
-@lisp
-("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
- "NNTP-Posting-Host")
-@end lisp
+@node Advanced Scoring
+@section Advanced Scoring
-@item Lines, Chars
-These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
-@code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
+Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
+really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
+about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
+read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
+want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
-These predicates are true if
+By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
+scoring patterns.
-@example
-(PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
-@end example
+@menu
+* Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
+* Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
+* Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
+@end menu
-evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
-@code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
-following form:
-@lisp
-(< header-value 4)
-@end lisp
+@node Advanced Scoring Syntax
+@subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
-Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
-the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
-(It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
-it's not. I think.)
+Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
+Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
+element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
+non-@code{nil} value.
-When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
-@code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
-up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
-you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
+These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
+operator, and various match operators.
-@item Date
-For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
-@code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
-ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
-this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
-Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
-sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
-quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
+Logical operators:
-@cindex ISO8601
-@cindex date
-A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
-date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
-ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
-you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
-every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
-for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
-this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
-the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
-whole family, eh?)
+@table @code
+@item &
+@itemx and
+This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
+one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
+evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
+@code{true}.
-@item Head, Body, All
-These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
-header uses.
+@item |
+@itemx or
+This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
+one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
+then this operator will return @code{false}.
-@item Followup
-This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
-@code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
-articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
-you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
-decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
-trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
-uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
-files.)
+@item !
+@itemx not
+@itemx ¬
+This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
+logical negation of the value of its argument.
-@item Thread
-This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
-key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
-article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
-match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
-has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
-matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
-This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
-even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
-@code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
-undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
-key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
@end table
-@end enumerate
-@cindex score file atoms
-@item mark
-The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
-lower than this number will be marked as read.
+There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
+apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
+instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
+current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
+grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
+@code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
+the ancestry you want to go.
-@item expunge
-The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
-lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
+Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
+real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
+and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
+"Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
+simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
-@item mark-and-expunge
-The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
-lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
-summary buffer.
-@item thread-mark-and-expunge
-The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
-a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
-and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
-says how to compute the total score for a thread.
+@node Advanced Scoring Examples
+@subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
-@item files
-The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
-are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
-this one was.
+Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
+make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
+of parentheses.
-@item exclude-files
-The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
-not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
-other.
+Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
+when he's talking about Gnus:
-@item eval
-The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
-ignored when handling global score files.
+@example
+@group
+((&
+ ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+ ("subject" "Gnus"))
+ 1000)
+@end group
+@end example
-@item read-only
-Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
-should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
-@dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
-apply-to-all-groups score files.)
+Quite simple, huh?
-@item orphan
-The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
-parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
-some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
-will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
+When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
-You can do this with the following two score file entries:
+@example
+((&
+ ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+ (|
+ ("subject" "Gnus")
+ ("lines" 100 >)))
+ 1000)
+@end example
+
+However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
+really don't want to read what he's written:
@example
- (orphan -500)
- (mark-and-expunge -100)
+((&
+ ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+ (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
+ -100000)
@end example
-When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
-threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
-interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
-rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
-interesting threads, plus any new threads.
+Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
+socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
+white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
+very interesting:
-I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
-interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
-scoring rules exist.
+@example
+((&
+ (1-
+ (&
+ ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
+ ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
+ (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
+ ("body" "white.*socks"))
+ 1000)
+@end example
-@item adapt
-This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
-default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
-adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
-list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
-or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
-adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
-scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
-@code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
-not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
-groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
-insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
-it.
+Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
+in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
+subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
+parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
+
+@example
+((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
+ -200)
+((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
+ 200)
+@end example
+
+The possibilities are endless.
+
+@node Advanced Scoring Tips
+@subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
+
+The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
+That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
+result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
+of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
+the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
+(@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
+@samp{subject}) first.
-@item adapt-file
-All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
-will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
-if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
-file for a number of groups.
+The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
+arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
+something like:
-@item local
-@cindex local variables
-The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
-@var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
-current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
-convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
-groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
-be evaluated.
-@end table
+@example
+...
+(1-
+ (1-
+ ("from" "lars")))
+...
+@end example
+Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
+current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
-@node Score File Editing
-@section Score File Editing
+@example
+(1-
+ (&
+ ("from" "Lars")
+ ("subject" "Gnus")))
+@end example
-You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
-might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
-with a mode for that.
+than it is to say:
-It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
-additional commands:
+@example
+(&
+ (1- ("from" "Lars"))
+ (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
+@end example
-@table @kbd
-@item C-c C-c
-@kindex C-c C-c (Score)
-@findex gnus-score-edit-exit
-Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
-(@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
+@node Score Decays
+@section Score Decays
+@cindex score decays
+@cindex decays
-@item C-c C-d
-@kindex C-c C-d (Score)
-@findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
-Insert the current date in numerical format
-(@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
-you were wondering.
+You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
+bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
+big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
+use them in any sensible way.
-@item C-c C-p
-@kindex C-c C-p (Score)
-@findex gnus-score-pretty-print
-The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
-intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
-first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
-you.
+@vindex gnus-decay-scores
+@findex gnus-decay-score
+@vindex gnus-decay-score-function
+Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
+When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
+non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
+mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
+If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
+regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
+@emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
+performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
+@code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
+function:
-@end table
+@lisp
+(defun gnus-decay-score (score)
+ "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
+and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
+ (let ((n (- score
+ (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
+ (min (abs score)
+ (max gnus-score-decay-constant
+ (* (abs score)
+ gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
+ (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
+ ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
+ ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
+ (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
+ (string-to-number
+ (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
+ (floor n))))
+@end lisp
-Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
+@vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
+@vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
+@code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
+@code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
-@vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
-@code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
+@enumerate
+@item
+Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
-In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
-@kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
+@item
+Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
+@item
+Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
+score.
+@end enumerate
-@node Adaptive Scoring
-@section Adaptive Scoring
-@cindex adaptive scoring
+If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
+with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
+the new score, which should be an integer.
-If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
-happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
-stupidity, to be precise.
+Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
+four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
-@vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
-When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
-article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
-these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
-You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
-@code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
-words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
-@code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
-variable to @code{(word line)}.
+@node Searching
+@chapter Searching
+@cindex searching
-@vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
-To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
-the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
-might look something like this:
+FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
+comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
+as well.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
- '((gnus-unread-mark)
- (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
- (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
- (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
- (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
- (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
- (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
- (gnus-kill-file-mark)
- (gnus-ancient-mark)
- (gnus-low-score-mark)
- (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
-@end lisp
+This chapter describes tools for searching groups and servers for
+articles matching a query and then retrieving those articles. Gnus
+provides a simpler mechanism for searching through articles in a summary buffer
+to find those matching a pattern. @xref{Searching for Articles}.
-As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
-variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
-a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
-pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
-that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
-@code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
-entries.
+@menu
+* nnir:: Searching with various engines.
+* nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
+@end menu
-Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
-will be applied to each article.
+@node nnir
+@section nnir
+@cindex nnir
-To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
-articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
-score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
-lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
+This section describes how to use @code{nnir} to search for articles
+within gnus.
-If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
-@code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
-That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
-should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
+@menu
+* What is nnir?:: What does @code{nnir} do?
+* Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
+* Setting up nnir:: How to set up @code{nnir}.
+@end menu
-If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
-the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
-probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
-adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
+@node What is nnir?
+@subsection What is nnir?
-The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
-@code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
-@code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
-@code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
-on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
-current article, thereby matching the following thread.
+@code{nnir} is a Gnus interface to a number of tools for searching
+through mail and news repositories. Different backends (like
+@code{nnimap} and @code{nntp}) work with different tools (called
+@dfn{engines} in @code{nnir} lingo), but all use the same basic search
+interface.
-If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
-to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
-changes result in articles getting marked as read.
+The @code{nnimap} and @code{gmane} search engines should work with no
+configuration. Other engines require a local index that needs to be
+created and maintained outside of Gnus.
+
+
+@node Basic Usage
+@subsection Basic Usage
+
+In the group buffer typing @kbd{G G} will search the group on the
+current line by calling @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. This prompts
+for a query string, creates an ephemeral @code{nnir} group containing
+the articles that match this query, and takes you to a summary buffer
+showing these articles. Articles may then be read, moved and deleted
+using the usual commands.
+
+The @code{nnir} group made in this way is an @code{ephemeral} group, and
+some changes are not permanent: aside from reading, moving, and
+deleting, you can't act on the original article. But there is an
+alternative: you can @emph{warp} to the original group for the article
+on the current line with @kbd{A W}, aka
+@code{gnus-warp-to-article}. Even better, the function
+@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}, bound by default in summary buffers to
+@kbd{A T}, will first warp to the original group before it works its
+magic and includes all the articles in the thread. From here you can
+read, move and delete articles, but also copy them, alter article marks,
+whatever. Go nuts.
+
+You say you want to search more than just the group on the current line?
+No problem: just process-mark the groups you want to search. You want
+even more? Calling for an nnir search with the cursor on a topic heading
+will search all the groups under that heading.
+
+Still not enough? OK, in the server buffer
+@code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group} (now bound to @kbd{G}) will search all
+groups from the server on the current line. Too much? Want to ignore
+certain groups when searching, like spam groups? Just customize
+@code{nnir-ignored-newsgroups}.
+
+One more thing: individual search engines may have special search
+features. You can access these special features by giving a prefix-arg
+to @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. If you are searching multiple
+groups with different search engines you will be prompted for the
+special search features for each engine separately.
+
+
+@node Setting up nnir
+@subsection Setting up nnir
+
+To set up nnir you may need to do some prep work. Firstly, you may need
+to configure the search engines you plan to use. Some of them, like
+@code{imap} and @code{gmane}, need no special configuration. Others,
+like @code{namazu} and @code{swish}, require configuration as described
+below. Secondly, you need to associate a search engine with a server or
+a backend.
+
+If you just want to use the @code{imap} engine to search @code{nnimap}
+servers, and the @code{gmane} engine to search @code{gmane} then you
+don't have to do anything. But you might want to read the details of the
+query language anyway.
-After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
-become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
-the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
+@menu
+* Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
+* The imap Engine:: Imap configuration and usage.
+* The gmane Engine:: Gmane configuration and usage.
+* The swish++ Engine:: Swish++ configuration and usage.
+* The swish-e Engine:: Swish-e configuration and usage.
+* The namazu Engine:: Namazu configuration and usage.
+* The hyrex Engine:: Hyrex configuration and usage.
+* Customizations:: User customizable settings.
+@end menu
-You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
-by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
-let you use different rules in different groups.
+@node Associating Engines
+@subsubsection Associating Engines
-@vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
-The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
-group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
-is @file{ADAPT}.
-@vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
-Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
-human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
-default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
+When searching a group, @code{nnir} needs to know which search engine to
+use. You can configure a given server to use a particular engine by
+setting the server variable @code{nnir-search-engine} to the engine
+name. For example to use the @code{namazu} engine to search the server
+named @code{home} you can use
-@vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
-When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
-give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
-matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
-the length of the match is less than
-@code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
-this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
-this problem.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
+ '((nnml "home"
+ (nnimap-address "localhost")
+ (nnir-search-engine namazu))))
+@end lisp
-@vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
-As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
-headers. If you adapt on words, the
-@code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
-each instance of a word should add given a mark.
+Alternatively you might want to use a particular engine for all servers
+with a given backend. For example, you might want to use the @code{imap}
+engine for all servers using the @code{nnimap} backend. In this case you
+can customize the variable @code{nnir-method-default-engines}. This is
+an alist of pairs of the form @code{(backend . engine)}. By default this
+variable is set to use the @code{imap} engine for all servers using the
+@code{nnimap} backend, and the @code{gmane} backend for @code{nntp}
+servers. (Don't worry, the @code{gmane} search engine won't actually try
+to search non-gmane @code{nntp} servers.) But if you wanted to use
+@code{namazu} for all your servers with an @code{nnimap} backend you
+could change this to
@lisp
-(setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
- `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
- (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
- (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
- (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
+'((nnimap . namazu)
+ (nntp . gmane))
@end lisp
-This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
-word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
-@code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
-score with 30 points.
+@node The imap Engine
+@subsubsection The imap Engine
-@vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
-@vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
-Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
-will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
-@code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
+The @code{imap} engine requires no configuration.
+
+Queries using the @code{imap} engine follow a simple query language.
+The search is always case-insensitive and supports the following
+features (inspired by the Google search input language):
+
+@table @samp
+
+@item Boolean query operators
+AND, OR, and NOT are supported, and parentheses can be used to control
+operator precedence, e.g. (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux. Note that
+operators must be written with all capital letters to be
+recognised. Also preceding a term with a - sign is equivalent to NOT
+term.
-@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
-Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
-scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
-an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
-variable defaults to @code{nil}.
+@item Automatic AND queries
+If you specify multiple words then they will be treated as an AND
+expression intended to match all components.
-@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
-When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
-syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
-it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
+@item Phrase searches
+If you wrap your query in double-quotes then it will be treated as a
+literal string.
-@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
-If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
-word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
-below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
+@end table
-@vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
-If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
-won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
-for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
-lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
+By default the whole message will be searched. The query can be limited
+to a specific part of a message by using a prefix-arg. After inputting
+the query this will prompt (with completion) for a message part.
+Choices include ``Whole message'', ``Subject'', ``From'', and
+``To''. Any unrecognized input is interpreted as a header name. For
+example, typing @kbd{Message-ID} in response to this prompt will limit
+the query to the Message-ID header.
-After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
-@code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
-what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
+Finally selecting ``Imap'' will interpret the query as a raw
+@acronym{IMAP} search query. The format of such queries can be found in
+RFC3501.
-Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
-likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
-that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
-rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
+If you don't like the default of searching whole messages you can
+customize @code{nnir-imap-default-search-key}. For example to use
+@acronym{IMAP} queries by default
+@lisp
+(setq nnir-imap-default-search-key "Imap")
+@end lisp
-@node Home Score File
-@section Home Score File
+@node The gmane Engine
+@subsubsection The gmane Engine
-The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
-@dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
-for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
-@samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
+The @code{gmane} engine requires no configuration.
-However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
-a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
-could perhaps use the same home score file.
+Gmane queries follow a simple query language:
-@vindex gnus-home-score-file
-The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
-be:
+@table @samp
+@item Boolean query operators
+AND, OR, NOT (or AND NOT), and XOR are supported, and brackets can be
+used to control operator precedence, e.g. (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux.
+Note that operators must be written with all capital letters to be
+recognised.
-@enumerate
-@item
-A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
-groups.
+@item Required and excluded terms
++ and - can be used to require or exclude terms, e.g. football -american
-@item
-A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
-file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
-parameter.
+@item Unicode handling
+The search engine converts all text to utf-8, so searching should work
+in any language.
-@item
-A list. The elements in this list can be:
+@item Stopwords
+Common English words (like 'the' and 'a') are ignored by default. You
+can override this by prefixing such words with a + (e.g. +the) or
+enclosing the word in quotes (e.g. "the").
-@enumerate
-@item
-@code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
-group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
+@end table
-@item
-A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
-be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
-name of the group as the parameter.
+The query can be limited to articles by a specific author using a
+prefix-arg. After inputting the query this will prompt for an author
+name (or part of a name) to match.
-@item
-A string. Use the string as the home score file.
-@end enumerate
+@node The swish++ Engine
+@subsubsection The swish++ Engine
-The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
-for matches.
+FIXEM: Say something more here.
-@end enumerate
+Documentation for swish++ may be found at the swish++ sourceforge page:
+@uref{http://swishplusplus.sourceforge.net}
-So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
+@table @code
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-home-score-file
- "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
-@end lisp
+@item nnir-swish++-program
+The name of the swish++ executable. Defaults to @code{search}
-If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
-@file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
+@item nnir-swish++-additional-switches
+A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
+swish++. @code{nil} by default.
-@findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-home-score-file
- 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
-@end lisp
+@item nnir-swish++-remove-prefix
+The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish++ in order
+to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
-This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
-Other functions include
+@end table
+
+@node The swish-e Engine
+@subsubsection The swish-e Engine
+
+FIXEM: Say something more here.
+
+Documentation for swish-e may be found at the swish-e homepage
+@uref{http://swish-e.org}
@table @code
-@item gnus-current-home-score-file
-@findex gnus-current-home-score-file
-Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
-commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
+
+@item nnir-swish-e-program
+The name of the swish-e search program. Defaults to @code{swish-e}.
+
+@item nnir-swish-e-additional-switches
+A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
+swish-e. @code{nil} by default.
+
+@item nnir-swish-e-remove-prefix
+The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish-e in order
+to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
@end table
-If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
-another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
-their own home score files:
+@node The namazu Engine
+@subsubsection The namazu Engine
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-home-score-file
- ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
- '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
- ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
- ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
-@end lisp
+Using the namazu engine requires creating and maintaining index files.
+One directory should contain all the index files, and nnir must be told
+where to find them by setting the @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory}
+variable.
-@vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
-@code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
-@code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
-is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
-specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
+To work correctly the @code{nnir-namazu-remove-prefix} variable must
+also be correct. This is the prefix to remove from each file name
+returned by Namazu in order to get a proper group name (albeit with `/'
+instead of `.').
-In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
-@code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
-(@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
-Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
-precedence over this variable.
+For example, suppose that Namazu returns file names such as
+@samp{/home/john/Mail/mail/misc/42}. For this example, use the
+following setting: @code{(setq nnir-namazu-remove-prefix
+"/home/john/Mail/")} Note the trailing slash. Removing this prefix from
+the directory gives @samp{mail/misc/42}. @code{nnir} knows to remove
+the @samp{/42} and to replace @samp{/} with @samp{.} to arrive at the
+correct group name @samp{mail.misc}.
+Extra switches may be passed to the namazu search command by setting the
+variable @code{nnir-namazu-additional-switches}. It is particularly
+important not to pass any any switches to namazu that will change the
+output format. Good switches to use include `--sort', `--ascending',
+`--early' and `--late'. Refer to the Namazu documentation for further
+information on valid switches.
-@node Followups To Yourself
-@section Followups To Yourself
+Mail must first be indexed with the `mknmz' program. Read the documentation
+for namazu to create a configuration file. Here is an example:
-Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
-the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
-this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
-articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
-respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
-to easily note when people answer what you've said.
+@cartouche
+@example
+ package conf; # Don't remove this line!
-@table @code
+ # Paths which will not be indexed. Don't use `^' or `$' anchors.
+ $EXCLUDE_PATH = "spam|sent";
-@item gnus-score-followup-article
-@findex gnus-score-followup-article
-This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
-article.
+ # Header fields which should be searchable. case-insensitive
+ $REMAIN_HEADER = "from|date|message-id|subject";
-@item gnus-score-followup-thread
-@findex gnus-score-followup-thread
-This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
-your own article.
-@end table
+ # Searchable fields. case-insensitive
+ $SEARCH_FIELD = "from|date|message-id|subject";
-@vindex message-sent-hook
-These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
-@code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
-@end lisp
+ # The max length of a word.
+ $WORD_LENG_MAX = 128;
+ # The max length of a field.
+ $MAX_FIELD_LENGTH = 256;
+@end example
+@end cartouche
-If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
-the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
-mine:
+For this example, mail is stored in the directories @samp{~/Mail/mail/},
+@samp{~/Mail/lists/} and @samp{~/Mail/archive/}, so to index them go to
+the index directory set in @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory} and issue
+the following command:
@example
-<x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
-<x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
+mknmz --mailnews ~/Mail/archive/ ~/Mail/mail/ ~/Mail/lists/
@end example
-So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
-exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
-myself:
+For maximum searching efficiency you might want to have a cron job run
+this command periodically, say every four hours.
-@lisp
-("references"
- ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
- 1000 nil r))
-@end lisp
+@node The hyrex Engine
+@subsubsection The hyrex Engine
+This engine is obsolete.
-Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
-is system-dependent.
+@node Customizations
+@subsubsection Custimozations
+@table @code
-@node Scoring On Other Headers
-@section Scoring On Other Headers
-@cindex scoring on other headers
+@item nnir-method-default-engines
+Alist of server backend - search engine pairs. The default associations
+are
+@example
+(nnimap . imap)
+(nntp . gmane)
+@end example
-Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
-headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
-other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
-that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
-matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
+@item nnir-ignored-newsgroups
+A regexp to match newsgroups in the active file that should be skipped
+when searching all groups on a server.
-@vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
-You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
-variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
-@code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
-the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
-inhibited for all groups.
+@item nnir-summary-line-format
+The format specification to be used for lines in an nnir summary buffer.
+All the items from `gnus-summary-line-format' are available, along with
+three items unique to nnir summary buffers:
-Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
-mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
-it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
-a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
-@samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
+@example
+%Z Search retrieval score value (integer)
+%G Article original full group name (string)
+%g Article original short group name (string)
+@end example
-Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
+If nil (the default) this will use @code{gnus-summary-line-format}.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
- nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
-@end lisp
+@item nnir-retrieve-headers-override-function
+If non-nil, a function that retrieves article headers rather than using
+the gnus built-in function. This function takes an article list and
+group as arguments and populates the `nntp-server-buffer' with the
+retrieved headers. It should then return either 'nov or 'headers
+indicating the retrieved header format. Failure to retrieve headers
+should return @code{nil}
-Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
-@kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
-time if you have much mail.
+If this variable is nil, or if the provided function returns nil for a
+search result, @code{gnus-retrieve-headers} will be called instead."
-Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
-so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
-See? Simple.
+@end table
+
+
+@node nnmairix
+@section nnmairix
+
+@cindex mairix
+@cindex nnmairix
+This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
+@code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
+Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
+bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
+
+@menu
+* About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
+* nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
+* What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
+* Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
+* Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
+* nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
+* Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
+* nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
+* nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
+@end menu
+
+@c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
+@c E.g. adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
+@c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
+
+@node About mairix
+@subsection About mairix
+
+Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
+mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
+GPL. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
+runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
+be found at
+@uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
+
+Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
+swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
+has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
+can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
+thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
+necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
+done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
+therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
+up.
+
+For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
+@code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
+end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
+results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
+which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
+made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
+mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
+for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
+searches.
+
+@node nnmairix requirements
+@subsection nnmairix requirements
+
+Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
+direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
+server (e.g. an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
+access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g. via ssh.
+
+Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
+ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
+one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
+@code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
+If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
+you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
+@code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
+files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
+really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
+the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
-@node Scoring Tips
-@section Scoring Tips
-@cindex scoring tips
+@node What nnmairix does
+@subsection What nnmairix does
-@table @dfn
+The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
+either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
+database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
+several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g. to quickly
+search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
+display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
+mails are in different folders.
-@item Crossposts
-@cindex crossposts
-@cindex scoring crossposts
-If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
-the @code{Xref} header.
-@lisp
-("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
-@end lisp
+Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
+to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
+containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
+even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID. If you check for
+new mail in these folders (e.g. by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
+automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
-@item Multiple crossposts
-If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
-more than, say, 3 groups:
-@lisp
-("xref"
- ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
- -1000 nil r))
-@end lisp
+You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
+creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
+then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
+does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
+strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
+claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
+the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
+its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g. if you
+use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
+about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
+group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
-@item Matching on the body
-This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
-Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
-you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
-keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
-and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
-will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
-@code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
-the matches.
+@code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
+a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
+the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
+different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
+@code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
+binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
+@code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
+present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
+You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
+but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
+groups alongside your other mail, you can also create e.g. a new
+@code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
+make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
+(@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
+mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
+folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
-@item Marking as read
-You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
-number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
-in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
-@lisp
-((mark -100))
-@end lisp
-You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
+@node Setting up mairix
+@subsection Setting up mairix
-@item Negated character classes
-If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
-That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
-@code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
-@end table
+First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
+Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
+(at least) the following entries:
-@node Reverse Scoring
-@section Reverse Scoring
-@cindex reverse scoring
+@example
+# Your Maildir/MH base folder
+base=~/Maildir
+@end example
-If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
-subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
-like this in your score file:
+This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
+are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
+with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
+directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
-@lisp
-(("subject"
- ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
- (mark 1)
- (expunge 1))
-@end lisp
+@example
+maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
+mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
+mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
+@end example
-So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
-rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
+This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
+base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
+@code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
+directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
+section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
+@example
+omit=zz_mairix-*
+@end example
-@node Global Score Files
-@section Global Score Files
-@cindex global score files
+@vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
+This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
+search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
+variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
-Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
-nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
-in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
+@example
+mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
+database= ... location of database file ...
+@end example
-What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
-all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
-big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
+The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
+search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
+with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
-@vindex gnus-global-score-files
-All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
-@code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
-or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
-files are applicable to which group.
+To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
-To use the score file
-@file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
-all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
-say this:
+@example
+base=~/Maildir
+maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
+mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
+mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
+mformat=maildir
+omit=zz_mairix-*
+database=~/.mairixdatabase
+@end example
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-global-score-files
- '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
- "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
-@end lisp
+In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
+folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
+colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
+because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
+@code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
+@code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
+to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
+notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
+to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
+dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
+old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
+The other lines should be obvious.
-@findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
-@noindent
-Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
-directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
-If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
-use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
+See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
+especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
+than you are used to.
-Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
-somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
+Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
+Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
+the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
-If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
-just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
-world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
-wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
-sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
-premises! Yay! The net is saved!
+@node Configuring nnmairix
+@subsection Configuring nnmairix
-Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
-head:
+In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
+(@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
+necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
+server. You will have to specify the following:
@itemize @bullet
@item
-Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
-@item
-To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
-@item
-Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
-@item
-Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
-lowered out of existence.
-@item
-Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
-articles completely.
+The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
+want.
@item
-Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
-should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
-old articles for a long time.
-@end itemize
-
-@dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
-in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
-Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
-holding our breath yet?
-
-
-@node Kill Files
-@section Kill Files
-@cindex kill files
-
-Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
-entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
-Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
-
-In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
-than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
-files into score files.
+The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
+searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
+Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
+which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
+@code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
+mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
+However, you can also create e.g. a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
+server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
+(@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
+just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
+@code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might lose mail
+(@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
+@acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
+@code{nnimap} server here.
-Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
-forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
-sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
-that isn't a very good idea.
+@item
+@vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
+The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
+be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
+SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g. on your
+@acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
+mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
+@code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
-Normal kill files look like this:
+@item
+The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
+where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e. all searches which
+are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
+like.
-@lisp
-(gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
-(gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
-(gnus-expunge "X")
-@end lisp
+@item
+If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
+asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e. with hidden maildir
+folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
+@samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
+server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
-This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
-marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
+@end itemize
-Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
-encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
-interpreting it.
+@node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
+@subsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
-Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
+In group mode:
@table @kbd
-@item M-k
-@kindex M-k (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
-Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
+@item G b c
+@kindex G b c (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
+Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
+(@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
+this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
-@item M-K
-@kindex M-K (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
-Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
-@end table
+@item G b s
+@kindex G b s (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-search
+Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
+results are put into the default search group which is automatically
+displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
-Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
+@item G b m
+@kindex G b m (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-widget-search
+Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
+comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
+group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
-@table @kbd
+@item G b i
+@kindex G b i (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-search-interactive
+Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
+only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
-@item M-k
-@kindex M-k (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
-Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
+@item G b g
+@kindex G b g (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-create-search-group
+Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
+(@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
+automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
+@kbd{M-g}.
-@item M-K
-@kindex M-K (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
-Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
-@end table
+@item G b q
+@kindex G b q (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
+Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
+(@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
-Kill file variables:
+@item G b t
+@kindex G b t (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
+Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
+i.e. if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
+(@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
-@table @code
-@item gnus-kill-file-name
-@vindex gnus-kill-file-name
-A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
-@file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
-this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
-The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
-course) is just called @file{KILL}.
+@item G b u
+@kindex G b u (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-update-database
+@vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
+Calls mairix binary for updating the database
+(@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
+and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
+@code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
+options).
-@vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
-@item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
-If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
-kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
-kills.
+@item G b r
+@kindex G b r (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
+Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
+marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
-@item gnus-apply-kill-hook
-@vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
-@findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
-@findex gnus-apply-kill-file
-A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
-@code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
-kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
-hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
-kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
+@item G b d
+@kindex G b d (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
+Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
+(@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
+you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
-@item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
-@vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
-A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
+@item G b a
+@kindex G b a (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
+Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
+(@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
+behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
+update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
+mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
+upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
+lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
+entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
+
+@item G b p
+@kindex G b p (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
+Toggle marks propagation for this group
+(@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
+marks}).
+
+@item G b o
+@kindex G b o (Group)
+@findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
+Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
+@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
@end table
+In summary mode:
-@node Converting Kill Files
-@section Converting Kill Files
-@cindex kill files
-@cindex converting kill files
+@table @kbd
-If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
-score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
-the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
-by hand.
+@item $ m
+@kindex $ m (Summary)
+@findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
+Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
+message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
+(@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
-The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
-You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
-from
-@uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
+@item $ g
+@kindex $ g (Summary)
+@findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
+Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
+message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
+(@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
-If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
-non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
-hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
-before.
+@item $ t
+@kindex $ t (Summary)
+@findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
+Searches thread for the current article
+(@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
+shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
+current article and enabled threads.
+@item $ f
+@kindex $ f (Summary)
+@findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
+Searches all messages from sender of the current article
+(@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
+calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
-@node Advanced Scoring
-@section Advanced Scoring
+@item $ o
+@kindex $ o (Summary)
+@findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
+(Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
+originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that
+e.g. replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
+parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
+function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
+article file name as a fallback method.
-Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
-really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
-about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
-read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
-want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
+@item $ u
+@kindex $ u (Summary)
+@findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
+Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
+(@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
+tips and tricks}).
-By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
-scoring patterns.
+@end table
-@menu
-* Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
-* Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
-* Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
-@end menu
+@node Propagating marks
+@subsection Propagating marks
+First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
+propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
+the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
-@node Advanced Scoring Syntax
-@subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
+@uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
+
+You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
+is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
+marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
+fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
+be useful to you.
-Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
-Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
-element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
-non-@code{nil} value.
+With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
+alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
+example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
+into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
+@samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
+all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
+create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
+can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
+implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
+groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
-These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
-operator, and various match operators.
+There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
+@samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
+``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
+search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
+enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
+marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
+mail group it will be still shown as unread.
-Logical operators:
+You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
+tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
+created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
+@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
+shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
+even more cumbersome.
-@table @code
-@item &
-@itemx and
-This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
-one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
-evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
-@code{true}.
+Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
+automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
+@emph{marks propagation} is about.
-@item |
-@itemx or
-This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
-one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
-then this operator will return @code{false}.
+Marks propagation is deactivated by default. You can activate it for a
+certain @code{nnmairix} group with
+@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
+p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
+search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
+temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
+this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
-@item !
-@itemx not
-@itemx ¬
-This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
-logical negation of the value of its argument.
+With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
+group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
+you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
+magically be set for the original article, too.
-@end table
+A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
-There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
-apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
-instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
-current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
-grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
-@code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
-the ancestry you want to go.
+@vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
+Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
+not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
+dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
+will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
+via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
+details).
-Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
-real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
-and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
-"Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
-simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
+Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
+article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
+the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
+fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
+marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
+set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
+the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
+@vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
+If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
+original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
+search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
+way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
+marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
+setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
-@node Advanced Scoring Examples
-@subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
+Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e. if you
+tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
+article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
+reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
+immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
+@code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
+not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
+groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
+maildir as its file format.
-Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
-make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
-of parentheses.
+@vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
+If you work with this setup, just set
+@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
+happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
+problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
+usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
+groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
+back end using @kbd{G b d}.
-Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
-when he's talking about Gnus:
+@node nnmairix tips and tricks
+@subsection nnmairix tips and tricks
-@example
-@group
-((&
- ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
- ("subject" "Gnus"))
- 1000)
-@end group
-@end example
+@itemize
+@item
+Checking Mail
-Quite simple, huh?
+@findex nnmairix-update-groups
+I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
+have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
+Levels}).
-When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
+I use the following to check for mails:
-@example
-((&
- ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
- (|
- ("subject" "Gnus")
- ("lines" 100 >)))
- 1000)
-@end example
+@lisp
+(defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
+ (interactive "P")
+ ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
+ (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
+ (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
+ (gnus-group-list-groups))
-However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
-really don't want to read what he's written:
+(define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
+@end lisp
-@example
-((&
- ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
- (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
- -100000)
-@end example
+Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
+server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
+details.
-Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
-socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
-white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
-very interesting:
+@item
+Example: search group for ticked articles
-@example
-((&
- (1-
- (&
- ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
- ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
- (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
- ("body" "white.*socks"))
- 1000)
-@end example
+For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
+articles always stay unread:
-Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
-in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
-subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
-parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
+Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g. @samp{important}), use
+@samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
-@example
-((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
- -200)
-((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
- 200)
-@end example
+Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
+activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
-The possibilities are endless.
+So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
+group? There are two options: You may simply use
+@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
+tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
+@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
+comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
+also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
+e.g. by marking an article as read.
-@node Advanced Scoring Tips
-@subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
+When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
+article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
+mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
+for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
+snippet and the doc string for details.
-The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
-That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
-result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
-of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
-the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
-(@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
-@samp{subject}) first.
+@item
+Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
-The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
-arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
-something like:
+As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
+the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
+see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
+should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
+usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
+@code{nnml}, i.e. you will suddenly see groups of the form
+@samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
+simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
+auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
+@code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
+Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
+for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
-@example
-...
-(1-
- (1-
- ("from" "lars")))
-...
-@end example
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
+ "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
+@end lisp
-Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
-current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
+@end itemize
-@example
-(1-
- (&
- ("from" "Lars")
- ("subject" "Gnus")))
-@end example
+@node nnmairix caveats
+@subsection nnmairix caveats
-than it is to say:
+@itemize
+@item
+You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
+you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
+@code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
+put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
+an example server definition:
-@example
-(&
- (1- ("from" "Lars"))
- (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
-@end example
+@lisp
+(nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
+@end lisp
+(The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variabe
+@code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
+have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
+mairix.)
-@node Score Decays
-@section Score Decays
-@cindex score decays
-@cindex decays
+@item
+If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
+@code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
+@code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}). Be @emph{extra careful} if
+you use @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are
+split into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as
+you check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
-You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
-bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
-big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
-use them in any sensible way.
+@item
+Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
+groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
-@vindex gnus-decay-scores
-@findex gnus-decay-score
-@vindex gnus-decay-score-function
-Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
-When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
-non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
-mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
-If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
-regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
-@emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
-performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
-@code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
-function:
+@item
+If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
+@code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
-@lisp
-(defun gnus-decay-score (score)
- "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
-and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
- (let ((n (- score
- (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
- (min (abs score)
- (max gnus-score-decay-constant
- (* (abs score)
- gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
- (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
- ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
- ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
- (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
- (string-to-number
- (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
- (floor n))))
-@end lisp
+@item
+mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
-@vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
-@vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
-@code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
-@code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
+@item
+@code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
+completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
+called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
+back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
+don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
+own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
+folders.
-@enumerate
@item
-Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
+All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
+(@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
+is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
+it is gone for good.
@item
-Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
+@findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
+If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
+``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
+delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
+@code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
+save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
+@code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
+@code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
+@code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
@item
-Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
-score.
-@end enumerate
+The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
+for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
-If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
-with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
-the new score, which should be an integer.
+A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
+comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
+@samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
+file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
+update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
+mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
+while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
+@samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
+after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
+non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
+``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
+to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
-Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
-four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
+@end itemize
@iftex
@iflatex
* Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
* Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
* Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
-* Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
* Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
-* NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
* Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
* Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
* Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
-(in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
+(in Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
paragraph.)
buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
@lisp
-((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
- (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
+((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)))
(article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
(article 1.0))))
@end lisp
@lisp
(article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
(summary 0.25 point)
- (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
(article 1.0)))
@end lisp
If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
-be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
-@code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
-is non-@code{nil}.
+be used as a split.
Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
@lisp
(article (horizontal 1.0
(vertical 0.5
- (group 1.0)
- (gnus-carpal 4))
+ (group 1.0))
(vertical 1.0
(summary 0.25 point)
- (summary-carpal 4)
(article 1.0))))
@end lisp
to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
windows resized.
+@subsection Window Configuration Names
+
+Here's a list of most of the currently known window configurations,
+and when they're used:
+
+@itemize @code
+@item group
+The group buffer.
+
+@item summary
+Entering a group and showing only the summary.
+
+@item article
+Selecting an article.
+
+@item server
+The server buffer.
+
+@item browse
+Browsing groups from the server buffer.
+
+@item message
+Composing a (new) message.
+
+@item only-article
+Showing only the article buffer.
+
+@item edit-article
+Editing an article.
+
+@item edit-form
+Editing group parameters and the like.
+
+@item edit-score
+Editing a server definition.
+
+@item post
+Composing a news message.
+
+@item reply
+Replying or following up an article without yanking the text.
+
+@item forward
+Forwarding a message.
+
+@item reply-yank
+Replying or following up an article with yanking the text.
+
+@item mail-bound
+Bouncing a message.
+
+@item pipe
+Sending an article to an external process.
+
+@item bug
+Sending a bug report.
+
+@item score-trace
+Displaying the score trace.
+
+@item score-words
+Displaying the score words.
+
+@item split-trace
+Displaying the split trace.
+
+@item compose-bounce
+Composing a bounce message.
+
+@item mml-preview
+Previewing a @acronym{MIME} part.
+
+@end itemize
+
+
@subsection Example Window Configurations
@itemize @bullet
@end table
-@node Buttons
-@section Buttons
-@cindex buttons
-@cindex mouse
-@cindex click
-
-Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
-young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
-these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
-using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
-machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
-
-Right.
-
-@vindex gnus-carpal
-Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
-do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
-really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
-
-
-@table @code
-
-@item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
-@vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
-Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
-
-@item gnus-carpal-button-face
-@vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
-Face used on buttons.
-
-@item gnus-carpal-header-face
-@vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
-Face used on carpal buffer headers.
-
-@item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the group buffer.
-
-@item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the summary buffer.
-
-@item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the server buffer.
-
-@item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the browse buffer.
-@end table
-
-All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
-are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
-the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
-
-
@node Daemons
@section Daemons
@cindex demons
(gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
@end lisp
-@findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
@findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
@findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
@findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
@findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
-@code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
+@code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
@code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
@code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
@code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
behave.
-@node NoCeM
-@section NoCeM
-@cindex nocem
-@cindex spam
-
-@dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
-Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
-
-Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
-agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
-NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
-implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
-away.
-
-What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
-Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
-from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
-messages, which are distributed in the newsgroups
-@samp{news.lists.filters}, @samp{alt.nocem.misc}, etc.
-
-Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
-this will make spam disappear.
-
-There are some variables to customize, of course:
-
-@table @code
-@item gnus-use-nocem
-@vindex gnus-use-nocem
-Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
-by default.
-
-You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
-In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
-value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
-argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
-@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
-NoCeM messages if you specify a group level that is smaller than this
-value to those commands. For example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail
-groups and the levels on the news groups remain the default, 3 is the
-best choice.
-
-@item gnus-nocem-groups
-@vindex gnus-nocem-groups
-Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
-default is
-@lisp
-("news.lists.filters" "alt.nocem.misc")
-@end lisp
-
-@item gnus-nocem-issuers
-@vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
-There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
-people you want to listen to. The default is:
-
-@lisp
-("Adri Verhoef"
- "alba-nocem@@albasani.net"
- "bleachbot@@httrack.com"
- "news@@arcor-online.net"
- "news@@uni-berlin.de"
- "nocem@@arcor.de"
- "pgpmoose@@killfile.org"
- "xjsppl@@gmx.de")
-@end lisp
-
-Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
-@uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
-
-You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
-ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
-messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
-header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
-definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
-@samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
-@code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
-Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
-you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
-@var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
-
-For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
-@samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
-
-@lisp
-("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
-@end lisp
-
-On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
-@samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
-
-@lisp
-("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
-@end lisp
-
-The specs are applied left-to-right.
-
-
-@item gnus-nocem-verifyer
-@vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
-@findex gnus-nocem-epg-verify
-@findex pgg-verify
-This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
-says she is. This variable defaults to @code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} if
-EasyPG is available, otherwise defaults to @code{pgg-verify}. The
-function should return non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful,
-otherwise (including the case the NoCeM message was not signed) should
-return @code{nil}. If this is too slow and you don't care for
-verification (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to
-@code{nil}.
-
-Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
-function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
-@code{gnus-nocem-epg-verify} or @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if
-you are willing to add the @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
-
-@item gnus-nocem-directory
-@vindex gnus-nocem-directory
-This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
-@file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
-
-@item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
-@vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
-The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
-The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
-might then see old spam.
-
-@item gnus-nocem-check-from
-@vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
-Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
-Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
-valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
-issuers.
-
-@item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
-@vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
-If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
-group. @code{nil} means no restriction. NoCeM groups can be huge and
-very slow to process.
-
-@end table
-
-Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
-(i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
-big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
-unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
-
-
@node Undo
@section Undo
@cindex undo
Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
@code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
+@item gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
+@vindex gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
+If non-@code{nil} (which is the default), don't display picons for
+things like @samp{.net} and @samp{.de}, which aren't usually very
+interesting.
+
@end table
@node Gravatars
The size in pixels of gravatars. Gravatars are always square, so one
number for the size is enough.
-@item gnus-gravatar-relief
-@vindex gnus-gravatar-relief
-If non-nil, adds a shadow rectangle around the image. The value,
-relief, specifies the width of the shadow lines, in pixels. If relief
-is negative, shadows are drawn so that the image appears as a pressed
-button; otherwise, it appears as an unpressed button.
+@item gnus-gravatar-properties
+@vindex gnus-gravatar-properties
+List of image properties applied to Gravatar images.
+
+@item gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
+@vindex gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
+Regexp that matches mail addresses or names of people of which avatars
+should not be displayed, or @code{nil}. It default to the value of
+@code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (@pxref{X-Face}).
@end table
Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
downloaded by default. You need to set
@code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
-(@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
+(@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
group:
@table @kbd
-@item M-d
+@item $
+@itemx M-d
@itemx M s x
@itemx S x
-@kindex M-d
-@kindex S x
-@kindex M s x
+@kindex $ (Summary)
+@kindex M-d (Summary)
+@kindex S x (Summary)
+@kindex M s x (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
@findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
@vindex nnimap-split-download-body
Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
@code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
-you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body}
-to @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can
-``scan'' the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only
-retrieves the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells
-it to retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by
-default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
-appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Splitting
-in IMAP}.
+you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to
+@code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can ``scan''
+the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only retrieves
+the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells it to
+retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by default
+because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
+appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Client-Side
+IMAP Splitting}.
You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
- nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
+ ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
nnimap-split-fancy '(|
;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
(: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
@example
(setq spam-use-spamoracle t
spam-split-group "Junk"
+ ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
- nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
@end example
the sender in addition to the Message-ID. Several strategies are
available.
+@item
+Refer to messages by ID
+
+Commands like @code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article} can take
+advantage of the registry to jump to the referred article, regardless
+of the group the message is in.
+
@item
Store custom flags and keywords
@menu
* Setup::
* Fancy splitting to parent::
+* Registry Article Refer Method::
* Store custom flags and keywords::
* Store arbitrary data::
@end menu
The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions.
@end defvar
+@node Registry Article Refer Method
+@subsection Fetching by @code{Message-ID} Using the Registry
+
+The registry knows how to map each @code{Message-ID} to the group it's
+in. This can be leveraged to enhance the ``article refer method'',
+the thing that tells Gnus how to look up an article given its
+Message-ID (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
+
+@vindex nnregistry
+@vindex gnus-refer-article-method
+
+The @code{nnregistry} refer method does exactly that. It has the
+advantage that an article may be found regardless of the group it's
+in---provided its @code{Message-ID} is known to the registry. It can
+be enabled by augmenting the start-up file with something along these
+lines:
+
+@example
+;; Keep enough entries to have a good hit rate when referring to an
+;; article using the registry. Use long group names so that Gnus
+;; knows where the article is.
+(setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500
+ gnus-registry-use-long-group-names t)
+
+(gnus-registry-initialize)
+
+(setq gnus-refer-article-method
+ '(current
+ (nnregistry)
+ (nnweb "gmane" (nnweb-type gmane))))
+@end example
+
+The example above instructs Gnus to first look up the article in the
+current group, or, alternatively, using the registry, and finally, if
+all else fails, using Gmane.
+
@node Fancy splitting to parent
@subsection Fancy splitting to parent
Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
@item
-Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
+Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el,
nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
functionality and stuff.
You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
-@item
-You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
-(@pxref{Buttons}).
-
@end itemize
@end iflatex
@end iftex
-@item
-Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
-
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-use-nocem t)
-@end lisp
-
@item
Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
the second parameter.
@file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
-automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
+automatic recognition of XEmacs and Emacs, generates
@file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
@acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
@acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
-@acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
-@acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
-@file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
+@acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS.
@item
Improved anti-spam features.
@item
Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
like @c
-@samp{No Gnus v0.10} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
+@samp{No Gnus v0.16} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
@c
you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
files lying around. Delete these.
(setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
@end lisp
-On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
-@samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
+On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server-file} to
+@samp{/etc/nntpserver}'', that means:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
+(setq gnus-nntp-server-file "/etc/nntpserver")
@end lisp
So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
projects / gnus / blobdiff