\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@setfilename gnus
-@settitle Gnus 5.4.48 Manual
+@settitle Gnus 5.6.33 Manual
@synindex fn cp
@synindex vr cp
@synindex pg cp
+@c @direntry
+@c * Gnus: (gnus). The news reader Gnus.
+@c @end direntry
@iftex
@finalout
@end iftex
@iftex
@iflatex
-\documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright]{book}
+\documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
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-\fontfamily{bembo}\selectfont
+\usepackage{bembo}
+\usepackage{pixidx}
\makeindex
\begin{document}
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\newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
-\newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``\gnustt{#1}''}
+\newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
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\newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
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-\marginpar[\hspace{2.5cm}\gnushead]{\gnushead}
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\else
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\gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
\rule{15cm}{1mm}\\
\vfill
-\hspace*{-1cm}\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
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\vfill
\rule{15cm}{1mm}\\
\gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
\thispagestyle{empty}
-Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
@tex
@titlepage
-@title Gnus 5.4.48 Manual
+@title Gnus 5.6.33 Manual
@author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
-Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
luck.
-This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.4.48.
+This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.6.33.
@end ifinfo
@end iflatex
Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
-unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
+unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
being accused of plagiarism:
@findex gnus
If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
-your Emacs.
+your Emacs.
@findex gnus-other-frame
@kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
@kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
-variables.
+variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
+@file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
+
+If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
+terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
@menu
* Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
@dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
-native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
+native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
foreign groups.
For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
@code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
(@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
-that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
-running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
+that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
@vindex gnus-nntp-server
If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
something useful.
Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
-picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
-defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
+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.
+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
@cindex fetching a group
@findex gnus-fetch-group
-It it sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
+It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
@code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
@kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
-is @code{t} by default. If you set this variable to @code{always}, then
-Gnus will query the backends for new groups even when you do the @kbd{g}
-command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
+is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
+@code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
+when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
@menu
* Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
@code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
-Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
+Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
@item gnus-subscribe-randomly
@vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
-Subscribe all new groups randomly.
+Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
+new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
@item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
@vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
-Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
+Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
@item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
@vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
@item gnus-subscribe-interactively
@vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
-you about @strong{all} new groups.
+you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
+to will be subscribed hierarchically.
@item gnus-subscribe-killed
@vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
-hierarchy or not.
+hierarchy or not.
-One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
+One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
+(@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
@code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
@code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
-and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
+and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
@vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
-very flaky and you want to use another.
+very flaky and you want to use another.
Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
-@code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
+@code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
@emph{Wrong!}
@sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
-worthless.
+worthless.
Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
@file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
@file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
-recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
+recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
+never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
+not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
@vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
@code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
-the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
+the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
@vindex gnus-startup-file
The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
-file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
+file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
@vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
@vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
@code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
@file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
-startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
+startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
@lisp
(defun turn-off-backup ()
normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
+@vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
+If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
+read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
+
@node The Active File
@section The Active File
@c @head
The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
-reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
+reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
you actually subscribe to.
Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
-considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
+considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
@item gnus-load-hook
@vindex gnus-load-hook
-A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
+A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
times you start Gnus.
+@item gnus-before-startup-hook
+@vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
+A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
+
@item gnus-startup-hook
@vindex gnus-startup-hook
-A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
+A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
@item gnus-started-hook
@vindex gnus-started-hook
A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
successfully.
+@item gnus-started-hook
+@vindex gnus-started-hook
+A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
+generating the group buffer.
+
@item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
@vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
long as Gnus is active.
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
+\put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
+\put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
+\put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
+\put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
+\put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
+\put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
+\put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
+}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
@menu
* Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
* Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
@node Group Buffer Format
@section Group Buffer Format
-@menu
+@menu
* Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
* Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
* Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
@samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
-asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
+asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
@vindex gnus-group-line-format
You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
@code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
-@xref{Formatting Variables}.
+@xref{Formatting Variables}.
@samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
@table @samp
-@item M
+@item M
An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
@item S
Whether the group is subscribed.
-@item L
+@item L
Level of subscribedness.
@item N
used.
@item P
-Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
+Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
@item c
@vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
@item d
A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
-Timestamp}).
+Timestamp}).
@item u
User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
-be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
+be a letter. Gnus will call the function
@code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
@vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
The mode line can be changed by setting
-@code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
+@code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
@table @samp
background is dark:
@lisp
+(face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
+ '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
+(face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
+ '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
+(face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
+ '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
+(face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
+ '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
+(face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
+ '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
+
(setq gnus-group-highlight
- `(((> unread 200) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
- ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
- ((< level 3) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
- ((zerop unread) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
- (t .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))))
+ '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
+ ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
+ ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
+ ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
+ (t . my-group-face-5)))
@end lisp
+Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
+
Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
include:
The level of the group.
@item score
The score of the group.
-@item ticked
+@item ticked
The number of ticked articles in the group.
@item total
The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
-MIN-NUMBER.
+MIN-NUMBER plus one.
@item topic
When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
topic being inserted.
@cindex group movement
All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
-expected, hopefully.
+expected, hopefully.
@table @kbd
@findex gnus-group-prev-group
Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
-@item M-p
-@kindex M-p (Group)
+@item M-n
+@kindex M-n (Group)
@findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
-(@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
+(@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
-@item M-n
-@kindex M-n (Group)
+@item M-p
+@kindex M-p (Group)
@findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
-(@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
+(@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
@end table
Three commands for jumping to groups:
@kindex , (Group)
@findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
-(@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
+(@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
@item .
@kindex . (Group)
@findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
Jump to the first group with unread articles
-(@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
+(@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
@end table
@vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
(@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
@code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
-entry.
+entry.
@item M-RET
@kindex M-RET (Group)
scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
-(i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
-This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
-group.
+(i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
+which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
+summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
@item M-SPACE
@kindex M-SPACE (Group)
full summary buffer.
@item t
-Select the first unread article when entering the group.
+Select the first unread article when entering the group.
@item best
-Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
-group.
+Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
+group.
@end table
-
+
If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
@kindex S t (Group)
@kindex u (Group)
@findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
+@c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
Toggle subscription to the current group
-(@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
+(@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
@item S s
@itemx U
@kindex S k (Group)
@kindex C-k (Group)
@findex gnus-group-kill-group
+@c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
@item S y
@kindex S w (Group)
@kindex C-w (Group)
@findex gnus-group-kill-region
-Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
+Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
@item S z
@kindex S z (Group)
really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
-@file{.newsrc} file.
+@file{.newsrc} file.
@end table
@kindex c (Group)
@findex gnus-group-catchup-current
@vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
+@c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
(@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
@code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
@kindex C (Group)
@findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
-(@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
+(@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
@item M-c
@kindex M-c (Group)
If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
-caution.
+caution.
@end table
(@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
-Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
+Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
@table @kbd
@vindex gnus-level-zombie
@vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
@vindex gnus-level-subscribed
-Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
+Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
@code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
@code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
@code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
-(default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
-completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
-the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
-articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
-living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
-for reasons of efficiency.
+(default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
+(default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
+same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
+you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
+groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
+reasons of efficiency.
It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
(default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
(un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
-relevant legal ranges.
+relevant valid ranges.
@vindex gnus-keep-same-level
If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
-will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
+will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
@code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
-listed.
+listed.
@vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
use this level as the ``work'' level.
@vindex gnus-activate-level
-Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
-@code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
-unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
-5. The default is 6.
+Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
+on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
+activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
+to 5. The default is 6.
@node Group Score
@section Group Score
@cindex group score
+@cindex group rank
+@cindex rank
You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
-reason?
+reason?
This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
@itemx M m
@kindex M m (Group)
@findex gnus-group-mark-group
-Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
+Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
@item M-#
@kindex M-# (Group)
@kindex M u (Group)
@findex gnus-group-unmark-group
Remove the mark from the current group
-(@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
+(@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
@item M U
@kindex M U (Group)
@findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
-Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
+Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
@item M w
@kindex M w (Group)
@findex gnus-group-mark-region
-Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
+Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
@item M b
@kindex M b (Group)
@findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
-Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
+Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
@item M r
@kindex M r (Group)
@findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
Mark all groups that match some regular expression
-(@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
+(@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
@end table
Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
@findex gnus-group-rename-group
@cindex renaming groups
Rename the current group to something else
-(@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
+(@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
on some backends.
@kindex G p (Group)
@findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
-(@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
+(@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
@item G E
@kindex G E (Group)
Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
-@item G h
+@item G h
@kindex G h (Group)
@cindex help group
@findex gnus-group-make-help-group
@kindex G D (Group)
@findex gnus-group-enter-directory
@cindex nneething
-Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
+Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
@code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
-@xref{Anything Groups}.
+@xref{Anything Groups}.
@item G f
@kindex G f (Group)
Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
(@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
-search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
+search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
@xref{Web Searches}.
+If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
+to a particular group by using a match string like
+@samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
+
@item G DEL
@kindex G DEL (Group)
@findex gnus-group-delete-group
(@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
-absolutely sure of what you are doing.
+absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
+read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
@item G V
@kindex G V (Group)
@end table
@xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
-methods.
+methods.
@vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
-groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
+groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
+@code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
+newsgroups.
@node Group Parameters
@section Group Parameters
@cindex group parameters
-The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
+The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
+Here's an example group parameter list:
+
+@example
+((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
+ (auto-expire . t))
+@end example
+
+We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
+the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
+parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
+not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
+
+The following group parameters can be used:
@table @code
@item to-address
@cindex to-address
-If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
-@code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
-the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
-mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
-it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
-subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
-goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
-copies of your followups.
+Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
+
+@example
+(to-address . "some@@where.com")
+@end example
+
+This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
+lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
+the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
+ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
+that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
@samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
-list address instead.
+list address instead.
@item to-list
@cindex to-list
-If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
-@code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
-doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
-followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
-group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
+Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
+
+@example
+(to-list . "some@@where.com")
+@end example
+
+It is totally ignored
+when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
+you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
+
+If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
+@code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
+then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
+sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
+@vindex gnus-add-to-list
If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
@code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
sending the message.
+@item visible
+@cindex visible
+If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
+that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
+of whether it has any unread articles.
+
@item broken-reply-to
@cindex broken-reply-to
Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
@item to-group
@cindex to-group
Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
-posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
+posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
@item newsgroup
@cindex newsgroup
-If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, Gnus will treat
-all responses as if they were responses to news articles. This can be
-useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a news group.
+If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
+will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
+This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
+news group.
@item gcc-self
@cindex gcc-self
-If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
-@code{t}, new composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
-group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
-will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
-inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
-any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
+If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
+composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
+@code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
+generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
+be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
+precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
+(@pxref{Archived Messages}).
@item auto-expire
@cindex auto-expire
If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
-. t)}, , all articles that are read will be marked as expirable. For an
+. t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
@item total-expire
If the group parameter has an element that looks like
@code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
-caution.
+caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
+expiry.
@item expiry-wait
@cindex expiry-wait
@item score-file
@cindex score file group parameter
Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
-@file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
-means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
+@file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
+interactive score entries will be put into this file.
@item adapt-file
@cindex adapt file group parameter
All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
@item admin-address
-When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
+When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
put the admin address somewhere convenient.
@item display
-Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} says which articles to
-display on entering the group. Legal values are:
+Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
+display on entering the group. Valid values are:
@table @code
@item all
Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
-groups.
+groups.
@item @var{(variable form)}
You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
@end table
-Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
-
-Also @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
-
-Here's an example group parameter list:
-
-@example
-((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
- (auto-expiry . t))
-@end example
+Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
+might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
+Parameters}).
@node Listing Groups
@section Listing Groups
@cindex group listing
-These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
+These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
@table @kbd
@kindex A m (Group)
@findex gnus-group-list-matching
List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
-(@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
+(@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
@item A M
@kindex A M (Group)
@item A A
@kindex A A (Group)
@findex gnus-group-list-active
-List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
+List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
-thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
-don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
+thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
+don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
Take the output with some grains of salt.
@item A a
The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
@code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
-include:
+include:
@table @code
@item gnus-group-sort-by-score
@findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
-Sort by group score.
+Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
@item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
@findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
-are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
+are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
@item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
@findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
@kindex G S a (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
-(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
+(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
@item G S u
@kindex G S u (Group)
@kindex G S l (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
Sort the group buffer by group level
-(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
+(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
@item G S v
@kindex G S v (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
Sort the group buffer by group score
-(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
+(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
@item G S r
@kindex G S r (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
Sort the group buffer by group rank
-(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
+(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
@item G S m
@kindex G S m (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
-(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
+(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
@end table
-When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
+When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
You can also sort a subset of the groups:
@kindex G P v (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
-(@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
+(@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
@item G P r
@kindex G P r (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
-(@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
+(@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
@item G P m
@kindex G P m (Group)
@item F
@kindex F (Group)
-@findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
-Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
-given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
-new groups.
+@findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
+Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
+With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
+for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
+to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
+zombies.
@item C-c C-x
@kindex C-c C-x (Group)
@findex gnus-browse-mode
A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
-will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
+will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
a lot) like a normal group buffer.
Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
@kindex SPACE (Browse)
@findex gnus-browse-read-group
Enter the current group and display the first article
-(@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
+(@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
@item RET
@kindex RET (Browse)
@findex gnus-browse-select-group
-Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
+Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
@item u
@kindex u (Browse)
@findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
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}).
@item l
@itemx q
@item q
@kindex q (Group)
@findex gnus-group-exit
+@c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
@item Q
even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
+\put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
+}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
Here's an example:
@example
(add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
@end lisp
-@menu
+@menu
* Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
* Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
* Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
@subsection Topic Variables
@cindex topic variables
-Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
+Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
really neat, I think.
@vindex gnus-topic-line-format
The topic lines themselves are created according to the
@code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
-Legal elements are:
+Valid elements are:
@table @samp
@item i
Number of groups in the topic.
@item a
Number of unread articles in the topic.
-@item A
-Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
+@item A
+Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
@end table
@vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
The default is 2.
@vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
-@code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
+@code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
@vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
@item T n
@kindex T n (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-create-topic
-Prompt for a new topic name and create it
-(@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
+Prompt for a new topic name and create it
+(@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
@item T m
@kindex T m (Topic)
@kindex T D (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-remove-group
Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
+This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
+topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
+remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
+the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
+(which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
+topic.
+
This command uses the process/prefix convention
(@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
@kindex T M (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-move-matching
Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
-(@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
@item T C
@kindex T C (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
-(@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
+
+@item T H
+@kindex T H (Topic)
+@findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
+Toggle hiding empty topics
+(@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
@item T #
@kindex T # (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
-(@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
@item T M-#
@kindex T M-# (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
-(@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
@item RET
@kindex RET (Topic)
prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
@item T TAB
+@itemx TAB
@kindex T TAB (Topic)
+@kindex TAB (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-indent
``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
``un-indent'' the topic instead.
+@item M-TAB
+@kindex M-TAB (Topic)
+@findex gnus-topic-unindent
+``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
+parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
+
@item C-k
@kindex C-k (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-kill-group
@findex gnus-topic-yank-group
Yank the previously killed group or topic
(@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
-before all groups.
+before all groups.
@item T r
@kindex T r (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-rename
-Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
+Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
@item T DEL
@kindex T DEL (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-delete
-Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
+Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
@item A T
@kindex A T (Topic)
@cindex topic sorting
You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
-commands:
+commands:
@table @kbd
@kindex T S a (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
-(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
@item T S u
@kindex T S u (Topic)
@kindex T S l (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
Sort the current topic by group level
-(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
@item T S v
@kindex T S v (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
Sort the current topic by group score
-(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
@item T S r
@kindex T S r (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
Sort the current topic by group rank
-(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
@item T S m
@kindex T S m (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
-(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
+(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
@end table
-@xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
+@xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
@node Topic Topology
@lisp
(("Gnus" visible)
- (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
+ (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
(("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
(("Misc" visible)))
@end lisp
for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
-setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
+setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
@cindex topic parameters
All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
-ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
-parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
+ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
+parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
. "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
@code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
-@samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
+@* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
. "religion.SCORE")}.
Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
@item a
@kindex a (Group)
@findex gnus-group-post-news
-Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
-group name will be used as the default.
+Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
+prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
@item m
@kindex m (Group)
@item gnus-group-mode-hook
@vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
-@code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
-created.
+is called after the group buffer has been
+created.
@item gnus-group-prepare-hook
@vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
-@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
+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,
@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 rereading of the active file(s) from the
+command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
backend(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
@cindex activating groups
@item C-c M-g
@kindex C-c M-g (Group)
-Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
+Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
@item R
@kindex R (Group)
@end table
@vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
-@code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
+@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
@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
use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-group-line-format
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
"%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
@end lisp
something like:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-group-line-format
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
"%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
@end lisp
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}).
+group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
@section Summary Buffer Format
@cindex summary buffer format
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
+\put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
+\put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
+}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
@menu
* Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
* Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
@vindex gnus-extract-address-components
Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
-@code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
+@code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
@code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
fast, and too simplistic solution; and
@code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
@vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
-with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
+with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
@node Summary Buffer Lines
@vindex gnus-summary-line-format
You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
-lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
+lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
(@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
The following format specification characters are understood:
@table @samp
-@item N
+@item N
Article number.
@item S
Subject string.
@item s
-Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
-different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
-(@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
+Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
+had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
+(@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
@item F
Full @code{From} header.
@item n
Twenty minus thread level spaces.
@item U
Unread.
+
@item R
-Replied.
+This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
+mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
+or has been saved.
+
@item i
-Score as a number.
+Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
@item z
@vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
default level. If the difference between
-@code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
+@code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
@code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
@item V
Total thread score.
@item d
The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
@item o
-The @code{Date} in @code{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS} format.
+The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
@item M
@code{Message-ID}.
@item r
article has any children.
@item P
The line number.
+@item O
+Download mark.
@item u
User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
-be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
+be a letter. Gnus will call the function
@code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
-that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
+that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
@subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
@vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
-You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
-@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
-is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
+You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
+Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
+like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
Here are the elements you can play with:
Unprefixed group name.
@item A
Current article number.
+@item z
+Current article score.
@item V
Gnus version.
@item U
Number of unread articles in this group.
@item e
-Number of unselected articles in this group.
+Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
+summary buffer.
@item Z
A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
and no unselected ones.
@item g
Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
-shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
+shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
@item S
Subject of the current article.
@item u
-User-defined spec.
+User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
@item s
-Name of the current score file.
+Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
@item d
-Number of dormant articles.
+Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
@item t
-Number of ticked articles.
+Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
@item r
-Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
+Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
@item E
Number of articles expunged by the score files.
@end table
@item gnus-summary-selected-face
@vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
-This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
+This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
@item gnus-summary-highlight
@vindex gnus-summary-highlight
Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
-list where the elements are on the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
+list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
@lisp
@cindex summary movement
All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
-behave pretty much as you'd expect.
+behave pretty much as you'd expect.
None of these commands select articles.
@kindex G M-n (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
Go to the next summary line of an unread article
-(@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
@item G M-p
@itemx M-p
@kindex G M-p (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
-(@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
@item G j
@itemx j
@kindex j (Summary)
@kindex G j (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-goto-article
-Ask for an article number and then go to that article
-(@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
+Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
+article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
@item G g
@kindex G g (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
-Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
+Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
@end table
If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
-for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
-particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
+for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
+articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
+
+This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
@item gnus-summary-check-current
@vindex gnus-summary-check-current
@kindex n (Summary)
@kindex G n (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
@item G p
@itemx p
@kindex p (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
@item G N
@kindex G C-n (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
Go to the next article with the same subject
-(@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
@item G C-p
@kindex G C-p (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
Go to the previous article with the same subject
-(@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
@item G f
@itemx .
@kindex , (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
Go to the article with the highest score
-(@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
@item G l
@itemx l
@findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
-@item G p
-@kindex G p (Summary)
+@item G o
+@kindex G o (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-pop-article
+@cindex history
+@cindex article history
Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
(@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
-history as you like.
+history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
+For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
+@pxref{Article Backlog}.
@end table
@node Choosing Variables
@subsection Choosing Variables
-Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
+Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
@table @code
@item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
@item DEL
@kindex DEL (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-prev-page
-Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
+Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
@item RET
@kindex RET (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
-@item A s
+@item A s
@itemx s
@kindex A s (Summary)
@kindex s (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
Perform an isearch in the article buffer
-(@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
+
+@item h
+@kindex h (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
+Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
@end table
@kindex S r (Summary)
@kindex r (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-reply
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
Mail a reply to the author of the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
@item S R
@itemx R
@kindex R (Summary)
@kindex S R (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
command uses the process/prefix convention.
@kindex S w (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
+goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
+@code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
@item S W
@kindex S W (Summary)
@item S o m
@kindex S o m (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
Forward the current article to some other person
(@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
headers of the forwarded article.
@kindex m (Summary)
@kindex S m (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
Send a mail to some other person
(@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
@code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
-So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
+So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
@code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
This command understands the process/prefix convention
-(@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+(@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
@item S O m
@kindex S O m (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
-Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
-(@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
-process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
+result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
+uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
@item S M-c
@kindex S M-c (Summary)
@cindex crossposting
@cindex excessive crossposting
Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
-current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
+current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
@findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
-This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
+This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
command understands the process/prefix convention
@end table
+Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
+
@node Summary Post Commands
@subsection Summary Post Commands
@kindex a (Summary)
@kindex S p (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-post-news
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
Post an article to the current group
(@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
@kindex f (Summary)
@kindex S f (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-followup
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
@item S F
@itemx F
@kindex S F (Summary)
@kindex F (Summary)
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
@findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
(@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
-@item S n
-@kindex S n (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
+@item S N
+@kindex S N (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
message through mail and include the original message
(@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
@item S u
@kindex S u (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-post-news
+@c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
-(@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
+(@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
@end table
+Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
+
@node Canceling and Superseding
@section Canceling Articles
@findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
@kindex C (Summary)
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
-canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
+canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
+This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
question.
+Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
+want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
+prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
+
If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
your original article.
@cindex article ticking
@cindex marks
-There are several marks you can set on an article.
+There are several marks you can set on an article.
You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
-Articles}).
+Articles}).
@item ?
@vindex gnus-dormant-mark
-Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
+Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
@dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
-are followups to it.
+are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
+followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
@item SPACE
@vindex gnus-unread-mark
-Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
+Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
@dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
@end table
@item Y
@vindex gnus-low-score-mark
-Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
+Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
@item C
@vindex gnus-catchup-mark
Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
-control the expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
-articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
+control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
+articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
any time.
@end table
@itemize @bullet
-@item
+@item
You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
(@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
-@item
+@item
@vindex gnus-cached-mark
-Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
-@samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
+Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
+the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
-@item
+@item
@vindex gnus-saved-mark
-Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
+Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
-(@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
+(@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
-@item
+@item
@vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
@vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
-It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
+If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
@code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
-@item
+@item
@vindex gnus-process-mark
-Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
+Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
@table @kbd
+@item M c
+@itemx M-u
+@kindex M c (Summary)
+@kindex M-u (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
+@cindex mark as unread
+Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
+(@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
+article as unread.
+
@item M t
@itemx !
@kindex ! (Summary)
@kindex M t (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
+@xref{Article Caching}
@item M ?
@itemx ?
@kindex M ? (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
Mark the current article as dormant
-(@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
@item M d
@itemx d
@kindex C-k (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
-(@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
@item M C
@kindex M C (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-catchup
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
@item M C-c
@kindex M H (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
Catchup the current group to point
-(@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
@item C-w
@kindex C-w (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
Mark all articles between point and mark as read
-(@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
@item M V k
@kindex M V k (Summary)
Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
-@item M c
-@itemx M-u
-@kindex M c (Summary)
-@kindex M-u (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
-Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
-
@item M e
@itemx E
@kindex M e (Summary)
@kindex M P p (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
Mark the current article with the process mark
-(@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
@findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
-@item M P u
+@item M P u
@itemx M-#
@kindex M P u (Summary)
@kindex M-# (Summary)
@kindex M P U (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
Remove the process mark from all articles
-(@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
@item M P i
@kindex M P i (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
Invert the list of process marked articles
-(@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
+(@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
@item M P R
@kindex M P R (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
-Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
+Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
+expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
@item M P r
@kindex M P r (Summary)
@kindex M P b (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
-(@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
+(@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
@item M P k
@kindex M P k (Summary)
It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
-buffer.
+buffer.
+
+All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
+from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
+additional articles.
@table @kbd
@kindex / / (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
-(@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
@item / a
@kindex / a (Summary)
@kindex / u (Summary)
@kindex x (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
-Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
+Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
(@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
-buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
+buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
dormant articles will also be excluded.
@item / m
@kindex / m (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
-Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
+Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
@item / t
@kindex / t (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
-Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles that are
-older than (or equal to) that number of days
+Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
(@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
-articles that are younger than that number of days.
+articles younger than that number of days.
@item / n
@kindex / n (Summary)
@kindex M S (Summary)
@kindex / E (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
-Display all expunged articles
-(@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
+Include all expunged articles in the limit
+(@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
@item / D
@kindex / D (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
-Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
+Include all dormant articles in the limit
+(@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
+
+@item / *
+@kindex / * (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
+Include all cached articles in the limit
+(@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
@item / d
@kindex / d (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
-Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
+Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
+(@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
+
+@item / T
+@kindex / T (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
+Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
@item / c
@kindex / c (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
-Hide all dormant articles that have no children
-(@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
+Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
+(@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
@item / C
@kindex / C (Summary)
to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
hierarchical fashion.
+Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
+articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
+trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
+or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
+so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
+plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
+@pxref{Customizing Threading}.
+
+First, a quick overview of the concepts:
+
+@table @dfn
+@item root
+The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
+
+@item thread
+A tree-like article structure.
+
+@item sub-thread
+A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
+
+@item loose threads
+Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
+already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
+summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
+belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
+called loose threads.
+
+@item thread gathering
+An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
+
+@item sparse threads
+A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
+displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
+
+@end table
+
+
@menu
* Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
* Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
@node Customizing Threading
@subsection Customizing Threading
@cindex customizing threading
+
+@menu
+* Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
+* Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
+* More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
+* Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Loose Threads
+@subsubsection Loose Threads
@cindex <
@cindex >
+@cindex loose threads
@table @code
+@item gnus-summary-make-false-root
+@vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
+If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
+and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
+Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
+read or killed the root in a previous session.
-@item gnus-show-threads
-@vindex gnus-show-threads
-If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
-the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
-off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
-slower and more awkward.
+When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
+something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
+There are four possible values:
-@item gnus-fetch-old-headers
-@vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
-If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
-more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
-would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
-connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
-to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
-that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
-fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
-overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
-@code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
-expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
+\put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
+\put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
+\put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
+\put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
+}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
-@item gnus-build-sparse-threads
-@vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
-Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
-gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
-the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
-articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
-@dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
-is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
-lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
-question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
-``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
-thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
-off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
-@code{nil} by default.
+@cindex adopting articles
+
+@table @code
+
+@item adopt
+Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
+parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
+marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
+square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
+
+@item dummy
+@vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
+Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
+parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
+selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
+article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
+format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
+which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
+
+@item empty
+Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
+subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
+use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
+Buffer Format}).)
+
+@item none
+Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
+display them after one another.
+
+@item nil
+Don't gather loose threads.
+@end table
@item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
@vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
-presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
+presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
@cindex fuzzy article gathering
If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
-Matching}).
+Matching}).
@item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
@vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
@c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
@lisp
(setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
- (concat
+ (concat
"\\`\\[?\\("
- (mapconcat
+ (mapconcat
'identity
'("looking"
"wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
- "help" "query" "problem" "question"
+ "help" "query" "problem" "question"
"answer" "reference" "announce"
"How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
;; ...
@end lisp
All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
-subjects.
+subjects.
+
+@item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
+@vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
+If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
+@code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
+list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
+arrive at the simplified version of the string.
+
+Useful functions to put in this list include:
+
+@table @code
+@item gnus-simplify-subject-re
+@findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
+Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
+
+@item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
+@findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
+Simplify fuzzily.
+
+@item gnus-simplify-whitespace
+@findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
+Remove excessive whitespace.
+@end table
+
+You may also write your own functions, of course.
+
@item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
@vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
@samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
-what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
-default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
+what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
+The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
@item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
@vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
@code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
-This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
-articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
+This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
+articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
cholera:
'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
@end lisp
-@item gnus-summary-make-false-root
-@vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
-If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
-and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
-Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
-read or killed the root in a previous session.
+@end table
-When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
-something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
-There are four possible values:
-@cindex adopting articles
+@node Filling In Threads
+@subsubsection Filling In Threads
@table @code
+@item gnus-fetch-old-headers
+@vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
+If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
+more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
+would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
+connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
+to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
+that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
+fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
+overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
+@code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
+expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
-@item adopt
-Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
-parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
-marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
-square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
-
-@item dummy
-@vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
-Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
-parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
-selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
-article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
-format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
-which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
-
-@item empty
-Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
-subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
-use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
-Buffer Format}).)
+This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
+visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
+(@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
-@item none
-Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
-display them after one another.
+@item gnus-build-sparse-threads
+@vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
+Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
+gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
+the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
+together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
+@dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
+is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
+lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
+question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
+``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
+thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
+off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
+@code{nil} by default.
-@item nil
-Don't gather loose threads.
@end table
+
+@node More Threading
+@subsubsection More Threading
+
+@table @code
+@item gnus-show-threads
+@vindex gnus-show-threads
+If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
+the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
+off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
+slower and more awkward.
+
@item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
@vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
The default is 4.
+@end table
+
+
+@node Low-Level Threading
+@subsubsection Low-Level Threading
+
+@table @code
+
@item gnus-parse-headers-hook
@vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
slightly decoded in a hackish way. This is likely to change in the
future when Gnus becomes @sc{MIME}ified.
+@item gnus-alter-header-function
+@vindex gnus-alter-header-function
+If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
+article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
+the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
+if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
+in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
+variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
+meaningful. Here's one example:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
+
+(defun my-alter-message-id (header)
+ (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
+ (when (string-match
+ "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
+ (mail-header-set-id
+ (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
+ header))))
+@end lisp
+
@end table
@kindex M-C-l (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
-(@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
@item T i
@kindex T i (Summary)
@item T t
@kindex T t (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
-Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
+Re-thread the current article's thread
(@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
@kindex T ^ (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
-(@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
+(@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
@end table
Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
@end table
-@vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
+@vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
-you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
+you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
-that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
+that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
Matching}).
@code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
@code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
-Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
+Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
number, you could do something like:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
+(setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
'(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
@lisp
(setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
- '((lambda (t1 t2)
+ '((lambda (t1 t2)
(not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
@end lisp
If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
-is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
+it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
@code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
@code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
say something like:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-article-sort-functions
+(setq gnus-article-sort-functions
'(gnus-article-sort-by-number
gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
@end lisp
while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
-article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
+article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
happen automatically.
@vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
-You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
+You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
@code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
-pre-fetch all the articles that it can without bound. If it is
-@code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be made.
+pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
+@code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
@vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
@findex gnus-async-read-p
There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
-articles, for instance. Which articles to pre-fetch is controlled by
-the @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable. This function should
+articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
@code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
data structure as the only parameter.
-If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles that are
-shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
+If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
@lisp
(defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
@end lisp
These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
-preferrably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
-It's also probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
+preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
+It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
@vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
@vindex gnus-cache-directory
@vindex gnus-use-cache
To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
-all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
+all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
@code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
-When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
+When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
-articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
+articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
@code{unread} and @code{read}.
@findex gnus-jog-cache
So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
-subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
-the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
-your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
-and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
+subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
+store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
+command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
+really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
+Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
+to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
+not then be downloaded by this command.
@vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
@item *
@kindex * (Summary)
@findex gnus-cache-enter-article
-Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
+Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
@item M-*
@kindex M-* (Summary)
@findex gnus-cache-remove-article
Remove the current article from the persistent articles
(@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
-article.
+article.
@end table
-Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
+Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
@emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
-that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
+that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
This variable is @code{nil} by default.
@kindex O o (Summary)
@kindex o (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-save-article
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
Save the current article using the default article saver
-(@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
@item O m
@kindex O m (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
Save the current article in mail format
-(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
@item O r
@kindex O r (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
Save the current article in rmail format
-(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
@item O f
@kindex O f (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
Save the current article in plain file format
-(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
@item O F
@kindex O F (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
-file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
+file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
@item O b
@kindex O b (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
Save the current article body in plain file format
-(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
@item O h
@kindex O h (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
Save the current article in mh folder format
-(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
@item O v
@kindex O v (Summary)
have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
-files.
+files.
@vindex gnus-default-article-saver
library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
@code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
-@code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
-the latter does not.
+@code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
@item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
@findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
@code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
-default.
+default.
As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
@code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
-name.
+name.
+
+Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
+lots of mail groups called things like
+@samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
+these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
+following will do just that:
+
+@lisp
+(defun my-save-name (group)
+ (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
+ (substring group (match-end 0))))
+
+(setq gnus-split-methods
+ '((gnus-article-archive-name)
+ (my-save-name)))
+@end lisp
+
@vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
@code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
(@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
-all the files in the toplevel directory
+all the files in the top level directory
(@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
@file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
@lisp
(setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
-(setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
+(setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
@end lisp
Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
-the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
+the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
-@menu
+@menu
* Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
-* Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
+* Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
* PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
+* Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
* Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
* Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
@end menu
+@cindex series
+@cindex article series
All these functions use the process/prefix convention
(@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
-([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
+([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
-Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
+Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
@item X u
@kindex X u (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
+@c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
@item X U
@kindex X v U (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
-(@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
+(@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
+
@end table
Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
off.
-@node Shared Articles
-@subsection Shared Articles
+@node Shell Archives
+@subsection Shell Archives
@cindex unshar
+@cindex shell archives
@cindex shared articles
+Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
+sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
+some commands to deal with these:
+
@table @kbd
@item X s
@kindex X v S (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
Unshars, views and saves the current series
-(@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
+(@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
@end table
@kindex X v P (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
View and save the current PostScript series
-(@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
+(@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
+@end table
+
+
+@node Other Files
+@subsection Other Files
+
+@table @kbd
+@item X o
+@kindex X o (Summary)
+@findex gnus-uu-decode-save
+Save the current series
+(@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
+
+@item X b
+@kindex X b (Summary)
+@findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
+Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
+doesn't really work yet.
@end table
Adjective, not verb.
-@menu
+@menu
* Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
* Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
* Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
@cindex rule variables
Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
-variables are on the form
-
+variables are of the form
+
@lisp
(list '(regexp1 command2)
'(regexp2 command2)
@vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
@item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
-All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
+All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
@item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
@vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
-Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
-unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
+Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
+decoded articles as unread.
@item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
@vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
+@item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
+@vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
+Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
+
@item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
@vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
@cindex metamail
@item gnus-uu-post-threaded
@vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
-thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
+thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
-@vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
+@vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
@code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
@section Article Treatment
Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
-object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
+object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
these articles easier.
@menu
* Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
-* Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look niced.
+* Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
* Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
* Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
* Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
@node Article Highlighting
@subsection Article Highlighting
-@cindex highlight
+@cindex highlighting
Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
-you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
+you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
@table @kbd
@item W H a
@kindex W H a (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-highlight
-Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
+@findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
+Do much highlighting of the current article
+(@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
+text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
+
+Most users would prefer using @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} in
+@code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}) instead.
+This is a bit less agressive---it highlights only the headers, the
+signature and adds buttons.
@item W H h
@kindex W H h (Summary)
highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
-header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
-@var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
-match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
-prepended---Gnus will add one.
+header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
+(@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
+the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
+@var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
@item W H c
@kindex W H c (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
-Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
+Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
@item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
-default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
+default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
@item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
@vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
-Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
+Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
@item gnus-cite-max-prefix
@vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
@item gnus-cite-face-list
@vindex gnus-cite-face-list
-List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
-from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
-citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
-see who wrote what.
+List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
+When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
+Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
+This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
@item gnus-supercite-regexp
@vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
-Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
+Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
@item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
@vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
@end table
+@xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
+
@node Article Fontisizing
@subsection Article Fontisizing
running the article through the @kbd{W e}
(@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
-@vindex gnus-article-emphasis
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
-@code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
+@code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
-that says what regular expression grouping used to find the entire
+that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
@code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
@code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
@code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
-@code{gnus-emphasis-undeline-bold}, and
-@code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
+@code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
+@code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
(copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
@end lisp
+@xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
+
@node Article Hiding
@subsection Article Hiding
@cindex article hiding
Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
-too much cruft in most articles.
+too much cruft in most articles.
@table @kbd
@item W W a
@kindex W W a (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-hide
-Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
+Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
+(@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
+headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
@item W W h
@kindex W W h (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-hide-headers
Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
-Headers}.
+Headers}.
@item W W b
@kindex W W b (Summary)
@kindex W W s (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-hide-signature
Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
-Signature}.
+Signature}.
@item W W p
@kindex W W p (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
-Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
+@vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
+Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
+@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
+signature has been hidden.
@item W W P
@kindex W W P (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-hide-pem
-Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) gruft
+Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
(@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
@item W W c
@table @code
-@item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
-@vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
-If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
-50), hide the cited text.
-
-@item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
-@vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
-The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
-is hidden.
-
-@item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
-@vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
-Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
+@item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
+@itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
+@vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
+@vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
+Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
-by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
-specs are legal:
+by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
+specs are valid:
@table @samp
@item b
@item gnus-cited-lines-visible
@vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
-The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
+The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
+
+@end table
+
+@item W W C-c
+@kindex W W C-c (Summary)
+@findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
+
+Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
+following two variables:
+
+@table @code
+@item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
+@vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
+If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
+50), hide the cited text.
+@item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
+@vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
+The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
+is hidden.
@end table
@item W W C
Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
(@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
-in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
+in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
@end table
Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
citation customization.
+@xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
+automatically.
+
@node Article Washing
@subsection Article Washing
@kindex W l (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
Remove page breaks from the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
+delimiters.
@item W r
@kindex W r (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
-(@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
+Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
+(Typically offensive jokes and such.)
+
+It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
+positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
+#15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
+is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
@item W t
@kindex W t (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
-(@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
@item W v
@kindex W v (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
+@item W d
+@kindex W d (Summary)
+@findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
+Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
+
@item W w
@kindex W w (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
@item W c
@kindex W c (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-remove-cr
-Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
+Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
+(@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
@item W q
@kindex W q (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
+Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
+non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
+@samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
+readable to me.
@item W f
@kindex W f (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-x-face-command
@vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
@vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\include{xface}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
Look for and display any X-Face headers
(@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
@item W b
@kindex W b (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-add-buttons
-Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
+Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
+@xref{Article Buttons}
@item W B
@kindex W B (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
Add clickable buttons to the article headers
-(@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
+(@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
@item W E l
@kindex W E l (Summary)
Do all the three commands above
(@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
+@item W E A
+@kindex W E A (Summary)
+@findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
+Remove all blank lines
+(@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
+
@item W E s
@kindex W E s (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
@end table
+@xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
+
@node Article Buttons
@subsection Article Buttons
People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
-with the minimum of fuzz.
+with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
+button on these references.
Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
@item regexp
All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
-external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
-@samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
+external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
+@samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
@item button-par
-Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
-a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
+Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
+is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
@item use-p
@item data-par
As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
-says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
+says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
@end table
(HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
@end lisp
-@var{header} is a regular expression.
+@var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
@item gnus-button-url-regexp
@vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
@item gnus-article-mouse-face
@vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
-Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
+Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
@end table
+@xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
+
@node Article Date
@subsection Article Date
@kindex W T u (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-date-ut
Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
-(@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
+(@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
+
+@item W T i
+@kindex W T i (Summary)
+@findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
+@cindex ISO 8601
+Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
+(@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
@item W T l
@kindex W T l (Summary)
(@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
@code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
-for a list possible format specs.
+for a list of possible format specs.
@item W T e
@kindex W T e (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
-Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
-(@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
+@findex gnus-start-date-timer
+@findex gnus-stop-date-timer
+Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
+(@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
+updated continually, you can put
+
+@lisp
+(gnus-start-date-timer)
+@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.
@item W T o
@kindex W T o (Summary)
@findex gnus-article-date-original
Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
-be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
+be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
@emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
@end table
+@xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
+preferred format automatically.
+
@node Article Signature
@subsection Article Signature
(setq gnus-signature-separator
'("^-- $" ; The standard
"^-- *$" ; A common mangling
- "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
+ "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
; line of dashes. Shame!
"^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
"^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
@vindex gnus-signature-limit
@code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
-signature.
+signature.
@enumerate
-@item
+@item
If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
that integer.
-@item
+@item
If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
than that number.
-@item
+@item
If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
@item
@end enumerate
This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
-listed above.
+listed above. Here's an example:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-signature-limit
+ '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
+@end lisp
+
+This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
+separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
+the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
+signature after all.
@node Article Commands
@cindex printing
@kindex A P (Summary)
@vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
-@findex gnus-summary-print-article
+@findex gnus-summary-print-article
Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
(@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
run just before printing the buffer.
@cindex parent articles
@cindex referring articles
-@findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
+@table @kbd
+@item ^
@kindex ^ (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
@kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
-article.
+article.
+@item A R (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-refer-references
@kindex A R (Summary)
-You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
-header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
-(@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
-
+Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
+article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
+
+@item A T (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
+@kindex A T (Summary)
+Display the full thread where the current article appears
+(@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
+headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
+you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
+to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
+visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
+faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
+
+@vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
+The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
+articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
+fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
+the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
+by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
+
+@item M-^ (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-refer-article
@kindex M-^ (Summary)
@cindex Message-ID
@code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
+@end table
The current select method will be used when fetching by
@code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
-would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
-as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
-not really necessary.
+would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
+updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
+necessary.
Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
-not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
+not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
@code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
@code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
@cindex pick and read
Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
-a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks the articles she
-wants to read from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the
+a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
+buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
articles with just an article buffer displayed.
@findex gnus-pick-mode
Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
-it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
-available.
+it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
@table @kbd
@item .
@kindex . (Pick)
-@findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
-Pick the article on the current line
-(@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
-go to the article on that line and pick that article. (The line number
-is normally displayed on the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
+@findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
+Pick the article or thread on the current line
+(@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
+@code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
+entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
+it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
+thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
+at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
@item SPACE
@kindex SPACE (Pick)
@item u
@kindex u (Pick)
-@findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
-Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
-
-@item U
-@kindex U (Pick)
-@findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
-Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
-
-@item t
-@kindex t (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
-Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
-
-@item T
-@kindex T (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
-Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
-
-@item r
-@kindex r (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-mark-region
-Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
-
-@item R
-@kindex R (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
-Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
-
-@item e
-@kindex e (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
-Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
-
-@item E
-@kindex E (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
-Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
-
-@item b
-@kindex b (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
-Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
-
-@item B
-@kindex B (Pick)
-@findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
-Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
+@findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
+Unpick the thread or article
+(@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
+@code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
+thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
+just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
+the thread or article at that line.
@item RET
@kindex RET (Pick)
@end table
+All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
+pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
+which is mapped to the same function
+@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
+
If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
@lisp
all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
@vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
-The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different than the
+The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
@code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
-@code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
+@code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
@node Binary Groups
@kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
-instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
+instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
@kindex g (Binary)
@findex gnus-binary-show-article
-In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
-mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
+The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
+command, when you have turned on this mode
+(@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
@vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
@code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
@code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
-in the tree buffer.
+in the tree buffer.
There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
@item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
@vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
-A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
-is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
-Buffer Mode Line}.
+A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
+Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
+of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
@item gnus-selected-tree-face
@vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
-Legal specs are:
+Valid specs are:
@table @samp
@item n
The number of the article.
@item [
The opening bracket.
-@item ]
+@item ]
The closing bracket.
@item s
The subject.
This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
(sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
-default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
+default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
@item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
@vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
-nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
+nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
@end table
higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
-other windows that are displayed next to it.
+other windows displayed next to it.
@item gnus-generate-tree-function
@vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
@end table
-Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
+Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
@example
@{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
[Paa]
@end example
+If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
+side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
+following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-use-trees t
+ gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
+ gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
+(gnus-add-configuration
+ '(article
+ (vertical 1.0
+ (horizontal 0.25
+ (summary 0.75 point)
+ (tree 1.0))
+ (article 1.0))))
+@end lisp
+
+@xref{Windows Configuration}.
+
@node Mail Group Commands
@section Mail Group Commands
@cindex mail group commands
Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
-illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
+invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
@findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
Delete all the expirable articles in the group
(@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
-articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
+articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
@item B DEL
@kindex B DEL (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-delete-article
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
(@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
@cindex move mail
@findex gnus-summary-move-article
Move the article from one mail group to another
-(@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
@item B c
@kindex B c (Summary)
@cindex copy mail
@findex gnus-summary-copy-article
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
(@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
-@item B C
-@kindex B C (Summary)
+@item B B
+@kindex B B (Summary)
@cindex crosspost mail
@findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
Crosspost the current article to some other group
@kindex C-c C-c (Article)
Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
-(@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
+(@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
+@kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
@item B q
@kindex B q (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-respool-query
If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
-will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
+will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
+
+@item B t
+@kindex B t (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
+Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
+when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
@item B p
@kindex B p (Summary)
generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
-has been set.
+have been set.
@vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
@item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
-Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
+It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
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} probably will be used for
-fetching the file.
+between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
+be used for fetching the file.
@item H d
@kindex H d (Summary)
@kindex M-s (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
-(@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
@item M-r
@kindex M-r (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
Search through all previous articles for a regexp
-(@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
@item &
@kindex & (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-execute-command
This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
-(@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
+backward instead.
@item M-&
@kindex M-& (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-prepare
Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
-@item Y c
+@item Y c
@kindex Y c (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
-whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
+whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
fashion.
@code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
@code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
command understands the process/prefix convention
-(@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+(@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
@item C-t
@kindex C-t (Summary)
@kindex = (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-expand-window
Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
-If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
+If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
+
+@item M-C-e
+@kindex M-C-e (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
+Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
+group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
@end table
@cindex exiting groups
Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
-group and return you to the group buffer.
+group and return you to the group buffer.
@table @kbd
@findex gnus-summary-exit
@vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
@vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
Exit the current group and update all information on the group
(@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
-called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
+called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
-@code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
+@code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
group mode having no more (unread) groups.
@kindex Z c (Summary)
@kindex c (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
(@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
@kindex Z n (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
-(@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
@item Z R
@kindex Z R (Summary)
@kindex Z G (Summary)
@kindex M-g (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
+@c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
articles, both read and unread.
@kindex Z N (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-next-group
Exit the group and go to the next group
-(@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
@item Z P
@kindex Z P (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-prev-group
Exit the group and go to the previous group
-(@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
@item Z s
@kindex Z s (Summary)
@vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
@code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
-group.
+group.
@findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
@findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
@code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
-summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
+summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
-There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
+There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
@vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
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}).
+(@pxref{NoCeM}).
Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
(@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
-approach may not work satisfactorily for some users for various
-reasons.
+approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
+reasons.
@enumerate
-@item
+@item
The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
is evil and not very common.
-@item
+@item
The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
@file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
@end enumerate
-I'm sure there are other situations that @code{Xref} handling fails as
+I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
well, but these four are the most common situations.
If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
-article as read the the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
+article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
saw the article in.
@table @code
@vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
-However, this means that only duplicate articles that is read in a
-single Gnus session are suppressed.
+However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
+session are suppressed.
@item gnus-duplicate-list-length
@vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
-This variables says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
-suppression list. The default is 10000.
+This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
+suppression list. The default is 10000.
@item gnus-duplicate-file
@vindex gnus-duplicate-file
-The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list. The
+The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
@end table
(setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
@end lisp
-This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
+This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
remain visible.
@item gnus-ignored-headers
(setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
@end lisp
-This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
+This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
be removed.
Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
@end lisp
Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
-variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
-are listed in this variable.
+variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
@findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
@vindex gnus-article-display-hook
@table @code
@item empty
Remove all empty headers.
-@item newsgroups
-Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
-name.
@item followup-to
Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
@code{Newsgroups} header.
@item reply-to
Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
@code{From} header.
+@item newsgroups
+Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
+name.
@item date
Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
-old.
+old.
+@item long-to
+Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
+@item many-to
+Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
@end table
-To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
+To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
@lisp
-(setq gnus-boring-article-headers
- '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
+(setq gnus-boring-article-headers
+ '(empty followup-to reply-to))
@end lisp
This is also the default value for this variable.
@findex metamail-buffer
Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
@code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
-default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
+default. This function calls the external @code{metamail} program to
+actually do the work. One common problem with this program is that is
+thinks that it can't display 8-bit things in the Emacs buffer. To tell
+it the truth, put something like the following in your
+@file{.bash_profile} file. (You do use @code{bash}, don't you?)
+
+@example
+export MM_CHARSET="iso-8859-1"
+@end example
+
+For more information on @code{metamail}, see its manual page.
+
+Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
@sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
@sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
-comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
+comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
@vindex gnus-article-display-hook
The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
-treatment of the article before it is displayed.
+treatment of the article before it is displayed.
@findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
-By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
-@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
-@code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
+@findex gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers
+By default this hook just contains
+@code{gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers},
+@code{gnus-hide-boring-headers}, @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike},
+and @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} (and under XEmacs,
+@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}), but there are thousands, nay
millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
@pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
-things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
+things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
@kindex C-c ^ (Article)
@findex gnus-article-refer-article
If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
-@kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
+@kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
(@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
@item C-c C-m
@kindex ? (Article)
@findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
-(@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
+(@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
@item TAB
@kindex TAB (Article)
@findex gnus-article-next-button
-Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
+Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
@item M-TAB
@kindex M-TAB (Article)
@findex gnus-article-prev-button
-Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
+Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
@end table
@item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
@vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
-@code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
+@code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
@vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
@item gnus-article-mode-line-format
This variable is a format string along the same lines as
-@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
-format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
+@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
+accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
+extension:
@table @samp
@item w
The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
-performed.
+performed.
@end table
@vindex gnus-break-pages
@item gnus-page-delimiter
@vindex gnus-page-delimiter
This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
-(form linefeed).
+(formfeed).
@end table
@node Composing Messages
@chapter Composing Messages
+@cindex composing messages
+@cindex messages
+@cindex mail
+@cindex sending mail
@cindex reply
@cindex followup
@cindex post
article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
-@menu
+@menu
* Mail:: Mailing and replying.
* Post:: Posting and following up.
* Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
* Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
* Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
-@c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
-@c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
-@c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
+* Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
+* Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
+* Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
@end menu
Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
-dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
+dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
the ``current'' server for posting.
If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
-Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
+Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
-for posting.
+for posting.
+
+Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
+you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
+groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
+@code{current}.
@node Mail and Post
@section Mail and Post
-Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
+Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
posting:
@table @code
@findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
@cindex mailing lists
-If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
+If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
(@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
-@code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
+@code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
still a pain, though.
@cindex ispell
@findex ispell-message
@lisp
-(add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
+(add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
@end lisp
@lisp
(nnfolder "archive"
- (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
+ (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
+ (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
+ (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
+ (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
@end lisp
You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
@lisp
(setq gnus-message-archive-method
- '(nnfolder "archive"
+ '(nnfolder "archive"
(nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
(nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
(nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
@cindex Gcc
Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
-determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
+determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
-This variable can be:
+This variable can be used to do the following:
@itemize @bullet
@item a string
Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-message-archive-group
+(setq gnus-message-archive-group
'(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
("mail" "sent-to-mail")
(".*" "sent-to-misc")))
More complex stuff:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-message-archive-group
+(setq gnus-message-archive-group
'((if (message-news-p)
- "misc-news"
+ "misc-news"
"misc-mail")))
-@end lisp
+@end lisp
How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
messages in one file per month:
@lisp
(setq gnus-message-archive-group
'((if (message-news-p)
- "misc-news"
- (concat "mail." (format-time-string
+ "misc-news"
+ (concat "mail." (format-time-string
"%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
@end lisp
+(XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
+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 also a
+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.
-XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
-use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
-
@table @code
-@item gnus-outgoing-message-group
-@vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
+@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
@end table
-@c @node Posting Styles
-@c @section Posting Styles
-@c @cindex posting styles
-@c @cindex styles
-@c
-@c All them variables, they make my head swim.
-@c
-@c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
-@c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
-@c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
-@c on?
-@c
-@c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
-@c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
-@c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
-@c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
-@c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
-@c variable:
-@c
-@c @lisp
-@c ((".*"
-@c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
-@c (organization . "What me?"))
-@c ("^comp"
-@c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
-@c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
-@c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
-@c @end lisp
-@c
-@c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
-@c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
-@c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
-@c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
-@c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
-@c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
-@c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
-@c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
-@c
-@c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
-@c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
-@c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
-@c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
-@c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
-@c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
-@c to @dfn{match}.
-@c
-@c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
-@c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
-@c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
-@c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
-@c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
-@c article.
-@c
-@c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
-@c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
-@c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
-@c
-@c So here's a new example:
-@c
-@c @lisp
-@c (setq gnus-posting-styles
-@c '((".*"
-@c (signature . "~/.signature")
-@c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
-@c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
-@c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
-@c ("^rec.humor"
-@c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
-@c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
-@c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
-@c (posting-from-work-p
-@c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
-@c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
-@c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
-@c ("^nn.+:"
-@c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
-@c @end lisp
-
-@c @node Drafts
-@c @section Drafts
-@c @cindex drafts
-@c
-@c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
-@c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
-@c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
-@c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
-@c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
-@c
-@c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
-@c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
-@c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
-@c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
-@c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
-@c group.)
-@c
-@c @cindex nndraft
-@c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
-@c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
-@c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
-@c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
-@c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
-@c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
-@c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
-@c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
-@c
-@c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
-@c to it.
-@c
+@node Posting Styles
+@section Posting Styles
+@cindex posting styles
+@cindex styles
+
+All them variables, they make my head swim.
+
+So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
+on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
+and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
+on?
+
+@vindex gnus-posting-styles
+One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
+variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
+came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
+a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
+variable:
+
+@lisp
+((".*"
+ (signature "Peace and happiness")
+ (organization "What me?"))
+ ("^comp"
+ (signature "Death to everybody"))
+ ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
+ (organization "Emacs is it")))
+@end lisp
+
+As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
+@dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
+``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
+over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
+applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
+the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
+@samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
+signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
+
+The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
+string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
+If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
+arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
+referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
+any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
+to @dfn{match}.
+
+Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
+attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
+can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
+@code{organization}, @code{address} or @code{name}. The attribute name
+can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as a header name,
+and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article.
+
+The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (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).
+
+So here's a new example:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-posting-styles
+ '((".*"
+ (signature-file "~/.signature")
+ (name "User Name")
+ ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
+ (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
+ ("^rec.humor"
+ (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
+ ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
+ (signature my-quote-randomizer))
+ (posting-from-work-p
+ (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
+ (address "user@@bar.foo")
+ (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
+ ("^nn.+:"
+ (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
+@end lisp
+
+
+@node Drafts
+@section Drafts
+@cindex drafts
+
+If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
+you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
+craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
+the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
+other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
+
+Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
+some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
+automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
+If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
+article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
+group.)
+
+@cindex nndraft
+@vindex nndraft-directory
+The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
+@code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
+@samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
+@code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
+that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
+read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
+
+If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
+to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
+unsubscribe it.
+
@c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
@c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
@c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
@c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
@c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
@c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
-@c
+@c
@c @vindex gnus-use-draft
@c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
-@c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
-@c
-@c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
-@c @kindex S D c (Summary)
-@c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
-@c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
-@c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
-@c
-@c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
-@c Articles}).
-@c
-@c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
-@c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
-@c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
-@c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
-@c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
-@c
-@c
-@c @node Rejected Articles
-@c @section Rejected Articles
-@c @cindex rejected articles
-@c
-@c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
-@c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
-@c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
-@c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
-@c
-@c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
-@c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
-@c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
-@c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
-@c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
-@c
-@c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
-@c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
-@c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
-@c
+@c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
+
+@findex gnus-draft-edit-message
+@kindex D e (Draft)
+When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
+draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
+that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
+
+Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
+Articles}).
+
+@findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
+@findex gnus-draft-send-message
+If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
+doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
+(@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
+process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
+command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
+in the buffer.
+
+If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
+@kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
+as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
+
+
+@node Rejected Articles
+@section Rejected Articles
+@cindex rejected articles
+
+Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
+doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
+@emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
+Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
+
+These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
+(Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
+fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
+you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
+articles until some later time when the server feels better.
+
+The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
+(@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
+typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
+
@node Select Methods
@chapter Select Methods
@cindex foreign groups
@cindex select methods
-A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
+A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
@sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
personal mail group.
* Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
* Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
* Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
+* Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
@end menu
on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
-These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
+These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
@sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
-To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
+To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
(@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
@menu
@table @samp
-@item h
+@item h
How the news is fetched---the backend name.
@item n
@vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
The mode line can also be customized by using the
-@code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
-understood:
+@code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
+Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
@table @samp
@item S
@findex gnus-server-scan-server
Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
(@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
-servers.
+servers.
@item g
@kindex g (Server)
@node Example Methods
@subsection Example Methods
-Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
+Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
@lisp
(nntp "news.funet.fi")
As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
-will.
+will.
-After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
+After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
@var{(variable form)} pairs.
To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
-port 15 from that machine. This is what the select method should
+port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
look like then:
@lisp
@end lisp
You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
-variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
+variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
@code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
-you private mail:
+your private mail:
@lisp
(nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
Here's the method for a public spool:
@lisp
-(nnmh "public"
- (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
+(nnmh "public"
+ (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
(nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
@end lisp
("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
@end lisp
+If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
+compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
+server that would look something like this:
+
+@lisp
+(nntp "news"
+ (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
+ (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
+ (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
+ (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
+ (nntp-rlogin-parameters
+ ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
+@end lisp
+
+This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
+provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
+connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
+@code{ssh} @file{config} file.
@node Creating a Virtual Server
manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
@lisp
-(nnml "public"
+(nnml "public"
(nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
(nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
(nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
actually the case or not.
That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
-Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
+Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
@samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
-to find out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to
+to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
it will regard that server as ``down''.
@kindex D (Server)
@findex gnus-server-deny-server
Mark the current server as unreachable
-(@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
+(@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
@item M-o
@kindex M-o (Server)
@findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
-(@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
+(@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
@item M-c
@kindex M-c (Server)
@findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
-(@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
+(@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
@item R
@kindex R (Server)
@findex gnus-server-remove-denials
-Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
-(@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
+Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
+(@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
@end table
you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
-server:
+server:
@table @code
@cindex nntp authentification
@findex nntp-send-authinfo
@findex nntp-send-mode-reader
-@code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
-It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
-been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
-the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
-
-@item nntp-authinfo-function
-@vindex nntp-authinfo-function
+is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
+commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
+default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
+@code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
+present in this hook.
+
+@item nntp-authinfo-function
+@vindex nntp-authinfo-function
+@findex nntp-send-authinfo
+@vindex nntp-authinfo-file
This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
-server. Available functions include:
+server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
+through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
+@code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
+are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
+format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
+@code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
+manual page, but here are the salient facts:
-@table @code
-@item nntp-send-authinfo
-@findex nntp-send-authinfo
-This function will used you current login name as the user name and will
-prompt you for the password. This is the default.
+@enumerate
+@item
+The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
+
+@item
+Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
+valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
+@samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
+@file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
+@file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
+format.)
+
+@end enumerate
-@item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
-@findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
-This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
+Here's an example file:
-@item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
-@findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
-This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
-read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
-@end table
+@example
+machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
+machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
+@end example
+
+The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
+have to be first, for instance.
+
+In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
+former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
+user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
+@samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
+@var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
+@samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
+until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
+
+You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
+that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
+
+@example
+default force yes
+@end example
-@item nntp-server-action-alist
-@vindex nntp-server-action-alist
-This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
+This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
+previously mentioned.
+
+Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
+
+@item nntp-server-action-alist
+@vindex nntp-server-action-alist
+This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
The default value is
@lisp
- '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
- (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
+'(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
+ (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
@end lisp
This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
-nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
+nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
@item nntp-maximum-request
@vindex nntp-maximum-request
by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
-@item nntp-connection-timeout
-@vindex nntp-connection-timeout
-If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
-regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
-responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
-time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
-somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
-that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
-connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
-no timeouts are done.
-
-@item nntp-command-timeout
-@vindex nntp-command-timeout
-@cindex PPP connections
-@cindex dynamic IP addresses
-If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
-address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
-changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
-waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
-unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
-then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
-from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
-the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
-likely number is 30 seconds.
-
-@item nntp-retry-on-break
-@vindex nntp-retry-on-break
-If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
-hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
-described above.
+@c @item nntp-connection-timeout
+@c @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
+@c If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
+@c regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
+@c responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
+@c time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
+@c somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
+@c that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
+@c connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
+@c no timeouts are done.
+@c
+@c @item nntp-command-timeout
+@c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
+@c @cindex PPP connections
+@c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
+@c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
+@c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
+@c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
+@c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
+@c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
+@c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
+@c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
+@c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
+@c likely number is 30 seconds.
+@c
+@c @item nntp-retry-on-break
+@c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
+@c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
+@c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
+@c described above.
@item nntp-server-hook
@vindex nntp-server-hook
@findex nntp-open-network-stream
@item nntp-open-connection-function
@vindex nntp-open-connection-function
-This function is used to connect to the remote system. Three pre-made
-functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
-simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
-two are @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an @samp{rlogin} on the
+This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
+functions are supplied:
+
+@table @code
+@item nntp-open-network-stream
+This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
+remote system.
+
+@item nntp-open-rlogin
+Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
-available there, and @code{nntp-open-telnet}, which does a @samp{telnet}
-to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet} to get to the
-@sc{nntp} server.
+available there.
@code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
@table @code
+@item nntp-rlogin-program
+@vindex nntp-rlogin-program
+Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
+but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
+
@item nntp-rlogin-parameters
@vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
@end table
+@item nntp-open-telnet
+Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
+to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
+
@code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
@table @code
@item nntp-telnet-command
@vindex nntp-telnet-command
-Command used to start @samp{telnet}.
+Command used to start @code{telnet}.
@item nntp-telnet-switches
@vindex nntp-telnet-switches
-List of strings to be used as the switches to the telnet command.
+List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
@item nntp-telnet-user-name
@vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
-User name to log in on the remote system as.
+User name for log in on the remote system.
@item nntp-telnet-passwd
@vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
@item nntp-telnet-parameters
@vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
-A list of strings that will be executed as a command after logging in
-via telnet.
+A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
+via @code{telnet}.
+
+@item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
+@vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
+Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
+@samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
+
+@item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
+@vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
+If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
+will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
+This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
+
+@end table
+
+@findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
+@item nntp-open-ssl-stream
+Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
+you must have SSLay installed
+(@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
+@file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
+define a server as follows:
+
+@lisp
+;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
+;;
+;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
+;;
+(nntp "snews.bar.com"
+ (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
+ (nntp-port-number "snews")
+ (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
+@end lisp
@end table
@item nntp-end-of-line
@vindex nntp-end-of-line
-String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
+String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
@item nntp-rlogin-user-name
@vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
-function.
+function.
@item nntp-address
@vindex nntp-address
@vindex nntp-buggy-select
Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
-@item nntp-nov-is-evil
-@vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
+@item nntp-nov-is-evil
+@vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
-variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
-can be used automatically.
+variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
+can be used.
@item nntp-xover-commands
@vindex nntp-xover-commands
@cindex nov
@cindex XOVER
-List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
+List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
-"XOVERVIEW")}.
+"XOVERVIEW")}.
@item nntp-nov-gap
@vindex nntp-nov-gap
the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
-lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
+lines that you will not need. This variable says how
big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
@code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
-@code{nntp} will never split requests.
+@code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
@item nntp-prepare-server-hook
@vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
server closes connection.
+@item nntp-record-commands
+@vindex nntp-record-commands
+If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
+@sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
+buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
+that doesn't seem to work.
+
@end table
Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
-instance.
+instance.
-Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
+Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
anything else) as the address.
If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
@item nnspool-inews-switches
@vindex nnspool-inews-switches
-Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
+Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
@item nnspool-spool-directory
@vindex nnspool-spool-directory
Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
@file{/usr/spool/news/}.
-@item nnspool-nov-directory
-@vindex nnspool-nov-directory
+@item nnspool-nov-directory
+@vindex nnspool-nov-directory
Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
@file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
@item nnspool-active-file
@vindex nnspool-active-file
-The path of the active file.
+The path to the active file.
@item nnspool-newsgroups-file
@vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
-The path of the group descriptions file.
+The path to the group descriptions file.
@item nnspool-history-file
@vindex nnspool-history-file
-The path of the news history file.
+The path to the news history file.
@item nnspool-active-times-file
@vindex nnspool-active-times-file
-The path of the active date file.
+The path to the active date file.
@item nnspool-nov-is-evil
@vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
and things will happen automatically.
-For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
-mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
+For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
+mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
@lisp
(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
@lisp
(setq nnmail-split-methods
'(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
- ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
- ("other" "")))
+ ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
+ ("other" "")))
@end lisp
This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
@samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
-latter group.
+last group.
This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
-give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
-especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
+give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
+Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
@node Splitting Mail
these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
-determine if it belongs in this mail group.
+determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
+contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
+insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
-If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
-that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
-extreme caution.
+@lisp
+("list.\\1" "From:.*\\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
+@end lisp
The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
function of your choice. This function will be called without any
arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
-message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
+message. The function should return a list of group names that it
thinks should carry this mail message.
-Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
+Note that the mail backends 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
@code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
@cindex crosspost
@cindex links
@code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
-the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
+the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
links. If that's the case for you, set
@code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
-variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
+variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
@kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
@kindex nnmail-split-history
@vindex nnmail-crash-box
@item nnmail-crash-box
-When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
+When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
other spool files.
default file modes the new mail files get:
@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
+(add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
(lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
-(add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
+(add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
(lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
@end lisp
@item nnmail-tmp-directory
@vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
-This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
+This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
-inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
+inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
it will be used instead.
@item nnmail-movemail-program
@c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
(No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
-of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure to
-not lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
+of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
+to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
was lost.
-Delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
+You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
@item nnmail-use-long-file-names
@vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
-names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
-@file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
-@file{mail/misc/}.
+names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
+(assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
+@code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
+the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
@item nnmail-delete-file-function
@vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
@findex delete-file
-Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
+Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
@item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
@vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
@enumerate
-@item
-@samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
+@item
+@samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
+name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
+examples.
@item
-@var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
-element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
-contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
-SPLIT.
+@var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
+which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
+header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
@item
@var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
@var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
@code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
-@item
+@item
@code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
-this message anywhere.
+this message. Use with extreme caution.
@item
@var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
a SPLIT.
+@item
+@code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
+
@end enumerate
In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
@var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
are expanded as specified by the variable
@code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
-the car of the cells contains the key, and the cdr contains a string.
+the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
+value.
@vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
@code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
when all this splitting is performed.
If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
-information in the headers, you can say things like:
+information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
+substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
@example
-(any "debian-\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
+(any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
@end example
-That is, do @code{replace-match}-like substitions in the group names.
+If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
+matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
+up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
+groupings 1 through 9.
@node Mail and Procmail
@code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
+If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
+something like the following:
+
+@vindex nnmail-use-procmail
+@lisp
+(setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
+(setq nnmail-spool-file
+ '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
+@end lisp
+
This also means that you probably don't want to set
@code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
side effects.
When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
-out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
-@code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
+out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
+@code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
-This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
-exist by hand.
+This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
+groups exist.
-Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
+Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
@code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
@vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
-If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
+If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
@code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
-ever expiring the final article (i. e., the article with the highest
+ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
-@file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i. e., the incoming
+@file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
@code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
@code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
@item
Go to the group buffer.
-@item
-Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
+@item
+Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
@code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
-@item
+@item
Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
@item
-Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
-Process Marks}).
+Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
+(@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
-@item
+@item
Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
@samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
@end enumerate
You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
-articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
+articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
column in the summary buffer.
-Note that making a group auto-expirable don't mean that all read
-articles are expired---only the articles that are marked as expirable
-will be expired. Also note the using the @kbd{d} command won't make
+By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
+articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
+before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
+automatically, you can put something like the following in your
+@file{.gnus} file:
+
+@vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
+@lisp
+(remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
+ 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
+(add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
+@end lisp
+
+Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
+articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
+will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
articles you have read to disappear after a while:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
+(setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
"mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
@end lisp
Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
-@code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
+@code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
-doesn't really mix very well.
+don't really mix very well.
@vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
6))))
@end lisp
-The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
+The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
-@code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
-necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
-@code{never}.
+@code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
+necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
+@code{never}.
You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
easier for procmail users.
@vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
-By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
-articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
+By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
+articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
caution. Even more dangerous is the
@emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
with! So there!
-Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
+Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
@node Washing Mail
@item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
@findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
-headers too make them look nice. Aaah.
+headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
@item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
@findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
@item nnmail-remove-tabs
@findex nnmail-remove-tabs
-Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
+Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
@end table
@item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
@vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
-include:
+include:
@table @code
@item article-de-quoted-unreadable
@vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
@vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
@cindex duplicate mails
-If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
+If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
@code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
Or something like:
@lisp
-(setq nnmail-split-methods
+(setq nnmail-split-methods
'(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
;; Other rules.
[...]))
@table @code
@item nnmbox-mbox-file
@vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
-The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
+The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
@item nnmbox-active-file
@vindex nnmbox-active-file
@item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
@vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
-If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
+If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
@end table
format. It should be used with some caution.
@vindex nnml-directory
-If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
-one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
+If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
+one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
@code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
-@sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
+@sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
backend when it comes to reading mail.
Virtual server settings:
@table @code
@item nnml-directory
@vindex nnml-directory
-All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
+All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
@item nnml-active-file
@vindex nnml-active-file
@item nnml-newsgroups-file
@vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
-Format}.
+Format}.
@item nnml-get-new-mail
@vindex nnml-get-new-mail
@item nnml-nov-is-evil
@vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
-If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
+If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
@item nnml-nov-file-name
@vindex nnml-nov-file-name
-The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
+The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
@item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
@vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
-Commands}).
+Commands}).
@node MH Spool
@table @code
@item nnfolder-directory
@vindex nnfolder-directory
-All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
+All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
@item nnfolder-active-file
@vindex nnfolder-active-file
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}, that most
-wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
-didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
+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
+backend 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 the directory name,
-@code{ange-ftp} will actually allow you to read this directory over at
-@samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
+@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 @sc{nov} files if they are present.
@item forward
Forwarded articles.
+@item mime-parts
+MIME multipart messages, besides digests.
+
@item mime-digest
@cindex digest
@cindex MIME digest
The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
@item slack-digest
-Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
+Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
@end table
You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
@item nndoc-article-type
@vindex nndoc-article-type
This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
-@code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward},
-@code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or
+@code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
+@code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{mime-digest},
+@code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or
@code{guess}.
@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 legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
+a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
and @code{news}.
@end table
First, here's an example document type definition:
@example
-(mmdf
+(mmdf
(article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
(body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
@end example
@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.
+totally ignored.
@item article-begin
This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
@item nndoc-head-begin
If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
-article.
+article.
@item nndoc-head-end
This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
@item body-end
If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
-@item nndoc-file-end
+@item file-end
If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
-regexp will be totally ignored.
+regexp will be totally ignored.
@end table
@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.
+document has encoded some parts of its contents.
@item article-transform-function
If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
-meant to be used how more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
+meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
body of the article.
@item generate-head-function
@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-TYPE-type-p} is called for each
-type. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
+traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
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 legal number.
+low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
@node SOUP
Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
@code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
-newsreaders.
+newsreaders.
However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
-that interested in doing things properly.
+that interested in doing things properly.
A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
@table @dfn
@item message packets
-These are packets made at the server, and typically contains lots of
+These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
default, where @var{X} is a number.
can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
-@item
+@item
You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
@item
You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
-@item
+@item
You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
packet.
-@item
-You transfer this packet to the server.
+@item
+You transfer this packet to the server.
@item
You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
@kindex G s s (Group)
@findex gnus-soup-send-replies
Send all replies from the replies packet
-(@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
+(@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
@item G s p
@kindex G s p (Group)
@findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
-Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
+Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
@item G s r
@kindex G s r (Group)
@findex nnsoup-pack-replies
-Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
+Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
@item O s
@kindex O s (Summary)
@findex gnus-soup-add-article
This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
(@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
-convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
@end table
There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
-thingies:
+thingies:
@table @code
@item gnus-soup-directory
@vindex gnus-soup-directory
Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
-@sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
+@sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
@item gnus-soup-replies-directory
@vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
@item gnus-soup-prefix-file
@vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
-@samp{gnus-prefix}.
+@samp{gnus-prefix}.
@item gnus-soup-packer
@vindex gnus-soup-packer
A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
-@samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
+@samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
@item gnus-soup-unpacker
@vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
@item gnus-soup-packet-directory
@vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
-Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
+Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
@item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
@vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
-@code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
+@code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
@end table
-
+
@node SOUP Groups
@subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
@item nnsoup-tmp-directory
@vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
-directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
+directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
@item nnsoup-directory
@vindex nnsoup-directory
@code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
-@item nnsoup-replies-directory
-@vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
-All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
+@item nnsoup-replies-directory
+@vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
+All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
@item nnsoup-replies-format-type
@item nnsoup-replies-index-type
@vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
-The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
-``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
+The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
+means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
@item nnsoup-active-file
@vindex nnsoup-active-file
@item nnsoup-packer
@vindex nnsoup-packer
Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
-is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
+is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
@item nnsoup-unpacker
@vindex nnsoup-unpacker
Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
-default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
+default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
@item nnsoup-packet-directory
@vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
-@file{~/}.
+@file{~/}.
@item nnsoup-packet-regexp
@vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
-@samp{Soupout}.
+@samp{Soupout}.
+
+@item nnsoup-always-save
+@vindex nnsoup-always-save
+If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
@end table
groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
-manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@code{Duplicate
+manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
@code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
-header---mark all articles that were posted before the last date you
-read the group as read.
+header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
+group as read.
If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
@item nnweb-type
@vindex nnweb-type
What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
-are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
+are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
+@code{reference}.
@item nnweb-search
@vindex nnweb-search
@vindex nnweb-type-definition
Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
-present:
+present:
@table @code
@item article
Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
-understands.
+understands.
@item map
-Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
+Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
@item search
Function to send the search string to the search engine.
@item address
The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
-to.
+to.
@item id
Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
Server variables:
@table @code
-@item nngateway-address
-@vindex nngateway-address
+@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 have often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
-for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
+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.
This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
-@code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address---an article with this
-@code{Newsgroups} header:
+@code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
+For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
@example
Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
@end example
+The following pre-defined functions exist:
+
+@findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
+@table @code
+
+@item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
+Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
+@var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
+
+@findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
+
+@item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
+Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
+@code{nngateway-address}.
+
+Here's an example:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-post-method
+ '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
+ (nngateway-header-transformation
+ nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
+@end lisp
+
+@end table
+
+
@end table
So, to use this, simply say something like:
@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.
-For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
+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!
and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
@example
-"^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
+"^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^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.)
+
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}.
+(@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
-One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
-group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
+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.
@vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
default) 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 contain the same component
-group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
+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.
@kindex G k (Group)
To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
-buffer.
+buffer.
The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
@code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
-@code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
-and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
+@code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
+and @code{nnvirtual} end.
In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
-must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
+must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
@kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
@code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
-all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
+all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
@code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
-on what groups that have been searched through to find component
-articles.
+on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
-Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
-@sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
+Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
+their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
-@node Scoring
-@chapter Scoring
-@cindex scoring
+@node Gnus Unplugged
+@section Gnus Unplugged
+@cindex offline
+@cindex unplugged
+@cindex Agent
+@cindex Gnus Agent
+@cindex Gnus Unplugged
+
+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.
+
+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.
+
+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.
+
+Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
-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
+First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
+that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
+here.
-@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.
+@item
+Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
+@file{.gnus.el} file:
-Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
-before generating the summary buffer.
+@lisp
+(gnus-agentize)
+@end lisp
+@end itemize
-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.
+That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
-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.
+Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
-@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 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.
-* GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
-* Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
-* Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
+@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 Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
+* 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.
@end menu
-@node Summary Score Commands
-@section Summary Score Commands
-@cindex score commands
+@node Agent Basics
+@subsection Agent Basics
-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.
+First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
-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.
+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}.
-General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
+The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
+connected to the net continuously.
-@table @kbd
+@dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
+machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
-@item V s
-@kindex V s (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-set-score
-Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
+Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
-@item V S
-@kindex V S (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-current-score
-Display the score of the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
+@itemize @bullet
-@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}).
+@item
+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 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.
+@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}.
-@item V a
-@kindex V a (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-score-entry
-Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
-(@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
+@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{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 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}).
+@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 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
+And then you go to step 2.
+@end itemize
-@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}).
+Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
+the Agent.
-@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.
+@itemize @bullet
-@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
+Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
+backend, 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} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
+Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
+primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
+
+@item
+Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
-@item I C-i
-@kindex I C-i (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-raise-score
-Increase the score of the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
+@item
+Uhm... that's it.
+@end itemize
-@item L C-l
-@kindex L C-l (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-lower-score
-Lower the score of the current article
-(@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
-@end table
-The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
+@node Agent Categories
+@subsection Agent Categories
-@table @kbd
+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 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}).
+The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
+@dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
+Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
-@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
+@menu
+* Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
+* The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
+* Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
+@end menu
-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 Syntax
+@subsubsection Category Syntax
+
+A category consists of two things.
@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
+A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
+are eligible for downloading; and
-@item a
-Score on the author name.
+@item
+a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
+deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
+score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
+@end enumerate
-@item s
-Score on the subject line.
+A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
+between.
-@item x
-Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
+Perhaps some examples are in order.
-@item t
-Score on thread---the References line.
+Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
+for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
-@item d
-Score on the date.
+@lisp
+short
+@end lisp
-@item l
-Score on the number of lines.
+Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
+short (for some value of ``short'').
-@item i
-Score on the Message-ID.
+Here's a more complex predicate:
-@item f
-Score on followups.
+@lisp
+(or high
+ (and
+ (not low)
+ (not long)))
+@end lisp
-@item b
-Score on the body.
+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 h
-Score on the head.
-@end table
+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
-The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
-what headers you are scoring on.
+The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
+you want to do, you can write your own.
@table @code
+@item short
+True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
+lines; default 100.
-@item strings
+@item long
+True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
+lines; default 200.
-@table @kbd
+@item low
+True iff the article has a download score less than
+@code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
-@item e
-Exact matching.
+@item high
+True iff the article has a download score greater than
+@code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
-@item s
-Substring matching.
+@item spam
+True iff 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 f
-Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
+@item true
+Always true.
-@item r
-Regexp matching
+@item false
+Always false.
@end table
-@item date
+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.
+
+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{From}, @code{Subject},
+@code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
+and @code{References}.
+
+
+@node The Category Buffer
+@subsubsection The 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 b
-Before date.
+@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
-At date.
+@kindex a (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-add
+Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
-@item n
-This date.
+@item p
+@kindex p (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
+Edit the predicate of the current category
+(@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
+
+@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}).
+
+@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 l
+@kindex l (Category)
+@findex gnus-category-list
+List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
@end table
-@item number
-@table @kbd
-@item <
-Less than number.
+@node Category Variables
+@subsubsection Category Variables
-@item =
-Equal to number.
+@table @code
+@item gnus-category-mode-hook
+@vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
+Hook run in category buffers.
-@item >
-Greater than number.
-@end table
+@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.
+
+@item g
+The number of groups in the category.
@end table
-@item
-The fourth and 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
+@item gnus-category-mode-line-format
+@vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
+Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
-@item t
-Temporary score entry.
+@item gnus-agent-short-article
+@vindex gnus-agent-short-article
+Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
-@item p
-Permanent score entry.
+@item gnus-agent-long-article
+@vindex gnus-agent-long-article
+Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
+
+@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.
-@item i
-Immediately scoring.
@end table
-@end enumerate
-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.
+@node Agent Commands
+@subsection Agent Commands
-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}.
+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.
-@vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
-The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
-pretend they are keymaps or not.
+@menu
+* Group Agent Commands::
+* Summary Agent Commands::
+* Server Agent Commands::
+@end menu
-@node Group Score Commands
-@section Group Score Commands
-@cindex group score commands
+You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
+following incantation:
-There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
+@cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
+@example
+$ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
+@end example
-@table @kbd
-@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
+@node Group Agent Commands
+@subsubsection Group Agent Commands
+@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 J c
+@kindex J c (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
+Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
+
+@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 J S
+@kindex J S (Agent Group)
+@findex gnus-group-send-drafts
+Send all sendable messages in the draft group
+(@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
+
+@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}).
-@node Score Variables
-@section Score Variables
-@cindex score variables
+@end table
-@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 Summary Agent Commands
+@subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
-@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.)
+@table @kbd
+@item J #
+@kindex J # (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-mark-article
+Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
+
+@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 @@
+@kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
+Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
+
+@item J c
+@kindex J c (Agent Summary)
+@findex gnus-agent-catchup
+Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
-@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 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
-This is @file{~/News/} by default.
+@end table
-@item gnus-score-file-suffix
-@vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
-Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
-(@samp{SCORE} by default.)
-@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, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
-bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
-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.
+@node Server Agent Commands
+@subsubsection Server Agent Commands
-@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.
+@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 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.
+@end table
-@item gnus-summary-default-score
-@vindex gnus-summary-default-score
-Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
-@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.
+@node Agent Expiry
+@subsection Agent Expiry
-@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{+}.
+@vindex gnus-agent-expiry-days
+@findex gnus-agent-expiry
+@kindex M-x gnus-agent-expiry
+@cindex Agent expiry
+@cindex Gnus Agent expiry
+@cindex expiry
-@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{-}.
+@code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
+@code{gnus-agent-expiry} command that will expire all read articles that
+are older than @code{gnus-agent-expiry-days} days. It can be run
+whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
+particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
+interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
-@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.
+@vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
+if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command 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.
-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 Outgoing Messages
+@subsection Outgoing Messages
-@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.
+When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
+stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
+after posting, and edit them at will.
-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.
+When Gnus is plugged again, 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.
-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.
-@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}.
-@end table
-This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
-functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
-be applied. These functions can also return 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 Variables
+@subsection Agent Variables
-@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.
+@table @code
+@item gnus-agent-directory
+@vindex gnus-agent-directory
+Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
+@file{~/News/agent/}.
+
+@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.
-@item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
-@vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
-If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
-their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
-non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
-stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
-even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
-grim reaper.
+@item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
+@vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
+Hook run when connecting to the network.
-@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.
+@item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
+@vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
+Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
@end table
-@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.
+@node Example Setup
+@subsection Example Setup
-Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
+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
-(("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)))
+;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
+;;; from your ISP's server.
+(setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
+
+;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
+;;; your ISP's POP server.
+(setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
+(setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
+
+;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
+(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
+
+;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
+(gnus-agentize)
@end lisp
-This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
+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}.
-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 legal syntactically, if not semantically.
+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
+@sc{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.
-Six keys are supported by this alist:
+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.)
-@table @code
+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 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.
-Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
-score entry has one to four elements.
-@enumerate
+@node Batching Agents
+@subsection Batching Agents
-@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.
+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:
-@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.
+@example
+#!/bin/sh
+emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
+@end example
-@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.
-@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.
+@node Scoring
+@chapter Scoring
+@cindex scoring
-@item Lines, Chars
-These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
-@code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
-careful because some backends (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.
+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!
-@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.)
+@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.
-@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---@samp{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS}. 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?)
+Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
+before generating the summary buffer.
-@item Head, Body, All
-These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
-header uses.
+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.
-@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.
+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 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 that is
-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.
-@end table
-@end enumerate
+@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 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.
+* GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
+* Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
+* Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
+@end menu
-@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 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.
+@node Summary Score Commands
+@section Summary Score Commands
+@cindex score commands
-@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.
+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.
-@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.
+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.
-@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.
+General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
-@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.
+@table @kbd
-@item eval
-The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
-ignored when handling global score files.
+@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 read-only
-Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
-should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
+@item V S
+@kindex V S (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-current-score
+Display the score of the current article
+(@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
-@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.
+@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}).
-You can do this with the following two score file entries:
+@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.
-@example
- (orphan -500)
- (mark-and-expunge -100)
-@end example
+@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}).
-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.
+@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}).
-I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
-exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
-ordinary scoring rules.
+@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 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.
+@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 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.
+@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 local
-@cindex local variables
-The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(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.
@end table
+The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
-@node Score File Editing
-@section Score File Editing
-
-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.
+@table @kbd
-It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
-additional commands:
+@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}).
-@table @kbd
+@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
-@item C-c C-c
-@kindex C-c C-c (Score)
-@findex gnus-score-edit-done
-Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
-(@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
+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.)
-@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.
+@findex gnus-summary-increase-score
+@findex gnus-summary-lower-score
-@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.
+@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
-@end table
+@item a
+Score on the author name.
-Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
+@item s
+Score on the subject line.
-@vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
-@code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
+@item x
+Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
-In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
-e} to begin editing score files.
+@item t
+Score on thread---the References line.
+@item d
+Score on the date.
-@node Adaptive Scoring
-@section Adaptive Scoring
-@cindex adaptive scoring
+@item l
+Score on the number of lines.
-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.
+@item i
+Score on the Message-ID.
-@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)}.
+@item f
+Score on followups.
-@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:
+@item b
+Score on the body.
-@lisp
-(defvar 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
+@item h
+Score on the head.
+@end table
-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.
+@item
+The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
+what headers you are scoring on.
-Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
-will be applied to each article.
+@table @code
-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{D}) 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.
+@item strings
-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.
+@table @kbd
-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.
+@item e
+Exact matching.
-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.
+@item s
+Substring matching.
-You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
-articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
-@code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
-article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
-added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
-aspirins afterwards.)
+@item f
+Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
-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.
+@item r
+Regexp matching
+@end table
-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.
+@item date
+@table @kbd
-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.
+@item b
+Before date.
-@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 @samp{ADAPT}.
+@item a
+After date.
-@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 n
+This date.
+@end table
-@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 number
+@table @kbd
-@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 <
+Less than number.
-This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
-word that appears in subjects of articles that are marked with
-@code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
-score with 30 points.
+@item =
+Equal to number.
-@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 >
+Greater than number.
+@end table
+@end table
-@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
+The fourth and 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
-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.
+@item t
+Temporary score entry.
-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.
+@item p
+Permanent score entry.
+@item i
+Immediately scoring.
+@end table
-@node Home Score File
-@section Home Score File
+@end enumerate
-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}.
+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.
-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.
+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}.
-@vindex gnus-home-score-file
-The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
-be:
+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.
-@enumerate
-@item
-A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
-groups.
+@vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
+The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
+pretend they are keymaps or not.
-@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
-A list. The elements in this list can be:
+@node Group Score Commands
+@section Group Score Commands
+@cindex group score commands
-@enumerate
-@item
-@var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
-the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
+There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
-@item
-A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
-the home score file.
+@table @kbd
-@item
-A string. Use the string as the home score file.
-@end enumerate
+@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}).
-The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
-for matches.
+@end table
-@end enumerate
+You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
-So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
+@findex gnus-batch-score
+@cindex batch scoring
+@example
+$ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l gnus -f gnus-batch-score
+@end example
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-home-score-file
- "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
-@end lisp
-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:
+@node Score Variables
+@section Score Variables
+@cindex score variables
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-home-score-file
- 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
-@end lisp
+@table @code
-This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
+@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 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:
+@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.)
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-home-score-file
- ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
- '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
- ;; All the comp groups in one score file
- ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
-@end lisp
-
-@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.
+@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 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
+This is @file{~/News/} by default.
-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 gnus-score-file-suffix
+@vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
+Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
+(@samp{SCORE} by default.)
+@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, if this might make you 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.
-@node Followups To Yourself
-@section Followups To Yourself
+@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.
-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 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.
-@table @code
+@item gnus-summary-default-score
+@vindex gnus-summary-default-score
+Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
-@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 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}.
-@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 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{+}.
-@vindex message-sent-hook
-These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
-@code{message-sent-hook}.
+@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{-}.
-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 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.
-@example
-<x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
-<x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
-@end example
+Predefined functions available are:
+@table @code
-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 gnus-score-find-single
+@findex gnus-score-find-single
+Only apply the group's own score file.
-@lisp
-("references"
- ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r))
-@end lisp
+@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.
-Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
-is system-dependent.
+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.
+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.
-@node Scoring Tips
-@section Scoring Tips
-@cindex scoring tips
+@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}.
-@table @dfn
+@end table
+This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
+functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
+be applied. These functions can also return 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.
-@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 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.
-@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 gnus-update-score-entry-dates
+@vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
+If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
+their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
+non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
+stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
+even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
+grim reaper.
-@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 gnus-score-after-write-file-function
+@vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
+Function called with the name of the score file just written.
-@item Marking as read
-You will probably want to mark articles that has a score 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 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
+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 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
-@node Reverse Scoring
-@section Reverse Scoring
-@cindex reverse scoring
+@node Score File Format
+@section Score File Format
+@cindex score file format
-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:
+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.
+
+Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
@lisp
-(("subject"
- ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
- (mark 1)
- (expunge 1))
+(("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
-So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
-rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
+This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
+approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
+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 Global Score Files
-@section Global Score Files
-@cindex global score files
+Six keys are supported by this alist:
-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!
+@table @code
-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!
-
-@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.
-
-Say you want 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:
-
-@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
-
-@findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
-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.
-
-Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
-somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
-
-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!
-
-Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
-head:
+@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.
-@itemize @bullet
+Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
+score entry has one to four elements.
+@enumerate
-@item
-Articles that are 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 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
-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
+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.
-... 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?
+@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.
+@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
-@node Kill Files
-@section Kill Files
-@cindex kill files
+@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.
-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.
+@item Lines, Chars
+These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
+@code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
-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.
+These predicates are true if
-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.
+@example
+(PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
+@end example
-Normal kill files look like this:
+evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
+@code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
+following form:
@lisp
-(gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
-(gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
-(gnus-expunge "X")
+(< header-value 4)
@end lisp
-This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
-the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
+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.)
-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.
+When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (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.
-Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
+@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.)
-@table @kbd
+@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 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 Head, Body, All
+These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
+header uses.
-@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 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.)
-Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
+@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
-@table @kbd
+@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 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 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 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 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.
-Kill file variables:
+@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.
-@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 called just @file{KILL}.
+@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.
-@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 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.
-@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 eval
+The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
+ignored when handling global score files.
-@item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
-@vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
-A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
+@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.)
-@end table
+@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.
+You can do this with the following two score file entries:
-@node Converting Kill Files
-@section Converting Kill Files
-@cindex kill files
-@cindex converting kill files
+@example
+ (orphan -500)
+ (mark-and-expunge -100)
+@end example
-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.
+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.
-The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
-You can fetch it from
-@file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
+I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
+exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
+ordinary scoring rules.
-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 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.
+@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.
-@node GroupLens
-@section GroupLens
-@cindex GroupLens
+@item local
+@cindex local variables
+The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(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
-GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
-together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
-huge volume of news articles generated every day.
-To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
-articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
-likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
-article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
-rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
-Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
-the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
-this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
-article.
+@node Score File Editing
+@section Score File Editing
-@menu
-* Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
-* Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
-* Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
-* GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
-@end menu
+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.
+It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
+additional commands:
-@node Using GroupLens
-@subsection Using GroupLens
+@table @kbd
-To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
-Bit Bureau (BBB).
-@samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
-better bit in town is at the moment.
+@item C-c C-c
+@kindex C-c C-c (Score)
+@findex gnus-score-edit-done
+Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
+(@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
-Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
+@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.
-@table @code
+@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.
-@item gnus-use-grouplens
-@vindex gnus-use-grouplens
-Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
-all the relevant GroupLens functions.
+@end table
-@item grouplens-pseudonym
-@vindex grouplens-pseudonym
-This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
-with the Better Bit Bureau.
+Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
-@item grouplens-newsgroups
-@vindex grouplens-newsgroups
-A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
+@vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
+@code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
-@end table
+In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
+e} to begin editing score files.
-Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
-Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
-articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
-the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
-yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
-you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
+@node Adaptive Scoring
+@section Adaptive Scoring
+@cindex adaptive scoring
-@node Rating Articles
-@subsection Rating Articles
+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.
-In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
-Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
-means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
-yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
-like this one?"
+@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)}.
-There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
+@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:
-@table @kbd
+@lisp
+(defvar 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
-@item r
-@kindex r (GroupLens)
-@findex bbb-summary-rate-article
-This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
+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.
-@item k
-@kindex k (GroupLens)
-@findex grouplens-score-thread
-This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
-the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
-threads in rec.humor.
+Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
+will be applied to each article.
-@end table
+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{D}) 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.
-The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
-the score of the article you're reading.
+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.
-@table @kbd
+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.
-@item 1-5 n
-@kindex n (GroupLens)
-@findex grouplens-next-unread-article
-Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
+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.
-@item 1-5 ,
-@kindex , (GroupLens)
-@findex grouplens-best-unread-article
-Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
+You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
+articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
+@code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
+article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
+added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
+aspirins afterwards.)
-@end table
+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.
-If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
-next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
+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.
+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 Displaying Predictions
-@subsection Displaying Predictions
+@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 @samp{ADAPT}.
-GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
-news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
-5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
-from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
-@code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
+@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.
-@vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
-There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
-choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
-regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
-people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
-the separate scoring behavior you need to set
-@code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
-GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
-@code{'override} and to combine the scores set
-@code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
-the combine option you will also want to set the values for
-@code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
-@code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
+@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.
-@vindex grouplens-prediction-display
-In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
-to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
-controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
+@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
-The following are legal values for that variable.
+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.
-@table @code
-@item prediction-spot
-The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
-displayed.
-
-@item confidence-interval
-A numeric confidence interval.
-
-@item prediction-bar
-The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
-
-@item confidence-bar
-Numerical confidence.
-
-@item confidence-spot
-The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
+@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 prediction-num
-Plain-old numeric value.
+@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 confidence-plus-minus
-Prediction +/i confidence.
+@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
+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.
+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.
-@node GroupLens Variables
-@subsection GroupLens Variables
-@table @code
+@node Home Score File
+@section Home Score File
-@item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
-The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
-enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
-(@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
-@samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
+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}.
-@item grouplens-bbb-host
-Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
-default.
+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.
-@item grouplens-bbb-port
-Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
+@vindex gnus-home-score-file
+The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
+be:
-@item grouplens-score-offset
-Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
-prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
-default is 0.
+@enumerate
+@item
+A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
+groups.
-@item grouplens-score-scale-factor
-This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
-The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
+@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.
-@end table
+@item
+A list. The elements in this list can be:
+@enumerate
+@item
+@var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
+the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
-@node Advanced Scoring
-@section Advanced Scoring
+@item
+A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
+the home score file.
-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 about 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
+A string. Use the string as the home score file.
+@end enumerate
-By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
-scoring patterns.
+The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
+for matches.
-@menu
-* Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
-* Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
-* Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
-@end menu
+@end enumerate
+So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
-@node Advanced Scoring Syntax
-@subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-home-score-file
+ "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
+@end lisp
-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.
+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:
-These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
-operator, and various match operators.
+@findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-home-score-file
+ 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
+@end lisp
-Logical operators:
+This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
+Other functions include
@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 |
-@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 !
-@itemx not
-@itemx ¬
-This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
-inverse of the value of its argument.
+@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
-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 fules apply to the
-grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
-@code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) say how far back into
-the ancestry you want to go.
+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:
-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.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-home-score-file
+ ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
+ '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
+ ;; All the comp groups in one score file
+ ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
+@end lisp
+@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.
-@node Advanced Scoring Examples
-@subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
+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.
-Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
-when he's talking about Gnus:
-@example
-((&
- ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
- ("subject" "Gnus"))
- 1000)
-@end example
+@node Followups To Yourself
+@section Followups To Yourself
-Quite simple, huh?
+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.
-When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
+@table @code
-@example
-((&
- ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
- (|
- ("subject" "Gnus")
- ("lines" 100 >)))
- 1000)
-@end example
+@item gnus-score-followup-article
+@findex gnus-score-followup-article
+This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
+article.
-However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
-really don't want to read what he's written:
+@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
-@example
-((&
- ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
- (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
- -100000)
-@end example
+@vindex message-sent-hook
+These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
+@code{message-sent-hook}.
-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:
+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:
@example
-((&
- (1-
- (&
- ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
- ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
- (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
- ("body" "white.*socks"))
- 1000)
+<x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
+<x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
@end example
-The possibilities are endless.
-
+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:
-@node Advanced Scoring Tips
-@subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
+@lisp
+("references"
+ ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
+ 1000 nil r))
+@end lisp
-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}, @code{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
-@samp{subject}) first.
+Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
+is system-dependent.
-The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
-arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
-something like:
-@example
-...
-(1-
- (1-
- ("from" "lars")))
-...
-@end example
+@node Scoring Tips
+@section Scoring Tips
+@cindex scoring tips
-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:
+@table @dfn
-@example
-(1-
- (&
- ("from" "Lars")
- ("subject" "Gnus")))
-@end example
+@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
-than it is to say:
+@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
-@example
-(&
- (1- ("from" "Lars"))
- (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
-@end example
+@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 has a score 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
-@node Score Decays
-@section Score Decays
-@cindex score decays
-@cindex decays
-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.
+@node Reverse Scoring
+@section Reverse Scoring
+@cindex reverse scoring
-@vindex gnus-decay-scores
-@findex gnus-decay-score
-@vindex gnus-score-decay-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.
-The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
-function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
-definition of that function:
+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
-(defun gnus-decay-score (score)
- (floor
- (- score
- (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
- (min score
- (max gnus-score-decay-constant
- (* (abs score)
- gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
+(("subject"
+ ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
+ (mark 1)
+ (expunge 1))
@end lisp
-@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:
-
-@enumerate
-@item
-Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
+So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
+rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
-@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 Global Score Files
+@section Global Score Files
+@cindex global score files
-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.
+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!
-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.
+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!
+@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.
-@node Various
-@chapter Various
+Say you want 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:
-@menu
-* Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
-* Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
-* Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
-* Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
-* 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 tendonitis in ten easy steps!
-* Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
-* NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
-* Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
-* Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
-* Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
-* XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
-* Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
-* Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolited commercial email.
-* Various Various:: Things that are really various.
-@end menu
+@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
+@findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
+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.
-@node Process/Prefix
-@section Process/Prefix
-@cindex process/prefix convention
+Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
+somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
-Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
-articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
+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!
-This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
-command to be performed on.
+Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
+head:
-It goes like this:
+@itemize @bullet
-If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
-articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
-negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
-with the current one.
+@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.
-@vindex transient-mark-mode
-If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
-active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
+@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
-If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
-process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
-the process mark.
+... 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?
-If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
-process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
-Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
-are avoided.
+@node Kill Files
+@section Kill Files
+@cindex kill files
-Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
-process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
-marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
-@kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
+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.
-@vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
-One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
-instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
-Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
-goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
-will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
-summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
-@code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
+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.
+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.
-@node Interactive
-@section Interactive
-@cindex interaction
+Normal kill files look like this:
-@table @code
+@lisp
+(gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+(gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
+(gnus-expunge "X")
+@end lisp
-@item gnus-novice-user
-@vindex gnus-novice-user
-If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
-World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
-really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
-to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
-default.
+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-expert-user
-@vindex gnus-expert-user
-If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
-questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
-matter how strange.
+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-interactive-catchup
-@vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
-Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
-is @code{t} by default.
+Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
-@item gnus-interactive-exit
-@vindex gnus-interactive-exit
-Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
-default.
-@end table
+@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}).
-@node Formatting Variables
-@section Formatting Variables
-@cindex formatting variables
+@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
-Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
-are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
-@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
-output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
-Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
-be annoyed by.
+Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
-Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
-%(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
-lots of percentages everywhere.
+@table @kbd
-@menu
-* Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
-* Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
-* User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
-* Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
-@end menu
+@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}).
-Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
-@code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
-@code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
-@code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
-@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
-@code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
-@code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
-@code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
+@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
-All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
-case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
+Kill file variables:
-@kindex M-x gnus-update-format
-@findex gnus-update-format
-Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
-specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
-update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
-examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
+@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}.
+@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 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}.
-@node Formatting Basics
-@subsection Formatting Basics
+@item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
+@vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
+A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
-Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
-buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
-spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
+@end table
-As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
-modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
-@dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
-@samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
-padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
-the right instead.
-You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
-particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
-means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
-less than 4 characters wide.
+@node Converting Kill Files
+@section Converting Kill Files
+@cindex kill files
+@cindex converting kill files
+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.
-@node Advanced Formatting
-@subsection Advanced Formatting
+The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
+You can fetch it from
+@file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
-It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
-Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
-be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
-look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
+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.
-These are the legal modifiers:
-@table @code
-@item pad
-@itemx pad-left
-Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
-length.
+@node GroupLens
+@section GroupLens
+@cindex GroupLens
-@item pad-right
-Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
-length.
+GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
+together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
+huge volume of news articles generated every day.
-@item max
-@itemx max-left
-Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
+To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
+articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
+likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
+article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
+rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
+Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
+of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
+prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
+article.
-@item max-right
-Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
-length.
+@menu
+* Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
+* Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
+* Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
+* GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
+@end menu
-@item cut
-@itemx cut-left
-Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
-@item cut-right
-Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
+@node Using GroupLens
+@subsection Using GroupLens
-@item ignore
-Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
+To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
+Bit Bureau (BBB).
+@samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
+better bit in town at the moment.
-@item form
-Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
-used.
-@end table
+Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
-Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
-will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
-This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
-the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
-@samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
-maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
-than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
+@table @code
-Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
-last operation, padding.
+@item gnus-use-grouplens
+@vindex gnus-use-grouplens
+Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
+all the relevant GroupLens functions.
-If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
-quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
-gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
-@xref{Compilation}.
+@item grouplens-pseudonym
+@vindex grouplens-pseudonym
+This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
+with the Better Bit Bureau.
+@item grouplens-newsgroups
+@vindex grouplens-newsgroups
+A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
-@node User-Defined Specs
-@subsection User-Defined Specs
+@end table
-All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
-The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
-will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
-@samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
-a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
-it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
-be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
-specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
-should protect against that.
+That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
+Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
+articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
+the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
+yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
+you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
-You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
-much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
-@samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
-given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
-inserted.
+@node Rating Articles
+@subsection Rating Articles
-@node Formatting Fonts
-@subsection Formatting Fonts
+In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
+Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
+means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
+yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
+like this one?"
-There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
-variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
-the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
-highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
-over it.
+There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
-Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
-normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
-default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
-instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
-for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
-@samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
+@table @kbd
-Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
+@item r
+@kindex r (GroupLens)
+@findex bbb-summary-rate-article
+This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
-@lisp
-;; Create three face types.
-(setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
-(setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
+@item k
+@kindex k (GroupLens)
+@findex grouplens-score-thread
+This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
+the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
+threads in rec.humor.
-;; We want the article count to be in
-;; a bold and green face. So we create
-;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
-(copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
-;; Set the color.
-(set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
-(setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
+@end table
-;; Set the new & fancy format.
-(setq gnus-group-line-format
- "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
-@end lisp
+The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
+the score of the article you're reading.
-I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
-and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
+@table @kbd
-Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
-mode-line variables.
+@item 1-5 n
+@kindex n (GroupLens)
+@findex grouplens-next-unread-article
+Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
+@item 1-5 ,
+@kindex , (GroupLens)
+@findex grouplens-best-unread-article
+Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
-@node Windows Configuration
-@section Windows Configuration
-@cindex windows configuration
+@end table
-No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
+If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
+next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
-@vindex gnus-use-full-window
-If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
-other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
-@code{t} by default.
-@vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
-@code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
-buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
+@node Displaying Predictions
+@subsection Displaying Predictions
-@lisp
-((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
- (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
- (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
- (article 1.0))))
-@end lisp
+GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
+news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
+5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
+from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
+@code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
-This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
-other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
-configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
-possible names is listed below.
+@vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
+There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
+choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
+regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
+people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
+the separate scoring behavior you need to set
+@code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
+GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
+@code{'override} and to combine the scores set
+@code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
+the combine option you will also want to set the values for
+@code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
+@code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
-The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
-should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
+@vindex grouplens-prediction-display
+In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
+to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
+controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
-@lisp
-(article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
- (article 1.0)))
-@end lisp
+The following are valid values for that variable.
-This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
-half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
-you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
-reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
-@code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
-rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
-whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
-size spec per split.
+@table @code
+@item prediction-spot
+The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
+displayed.
-Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
-@code{point}.
+@item confidence-interval
+A numeric confidence interval.
-Here's a more complicated example:
+@item prediction-bar
+The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
-@lisp
-(article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
- (summary 0.25 point)
- (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
- (article 1.0)))
-@end lisp
+@item confidence-bar
+Numerical confidence.
-If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
-then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
-occupy, not a percentage.
+@item confidence-spot
+The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
-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}.
+@item prediction-num
+Plain-old numeric value.
-Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
+@item confidence-plus-minus
+Prediction +/- confidence.
-@lisp
-(article (horizontal 1.0
- (vertical 0.5
- (group 1.0)
- (gnus-carpal 4))
- (vertical 1.0
- (summary 0.25 point)
- (summary-carpal 4)
- (article 1.0))))
-@end lisp
+@end table
-Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
-@code{horizontal} thingie?
-If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
-split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
-Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
-fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
-the screen is to be given to this strip.
+@node GroupLens Variables
+@subsection GroupLens Variables
-For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
-The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
-lines from the splits.
+@table @code
-To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
-may look like:
+@item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
+The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
+accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
+Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
+%s\n}.
-@example
-split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
-frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
-horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
-vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
-buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
-size = number | frame-params
-buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
-@end example
+@item grouplens-bbb-host
+Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
+default.
-The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
-top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
-return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
-may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
+@item grouplens-bbb-port
+Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
-@vindex gnus-window-min-width
-@vindex gnus-window-min-height
-@cindex window height
-@cindex window width
-Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
-than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
-windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
-characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
-splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
-you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
+@item grouplens-score-offset
+Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
+prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
+default is 0.
-If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
-@code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
-Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
-windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
+@item grouplens-score-scale-factor
+This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
+The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
-@findex gnus-configure-frame
-If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
-@code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
-that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
-nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
-three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
-@code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
-look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
-Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
-@code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
-configuration list.
+@end table
-@lisp
-(gnus-configure-frame
- '(horizontal 1.0
- (vertical 10
- (group 1.0)
- (article 0.3 point))
- (vertical 1.0
- (article 1.0)
- (horizontal 4
- (group 1.0)
- (article 10)))))
-@end lisp
-You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
-@code{frame} split:
+@node Advanced Scoring
+@section Advanced Scoring
-@lisp
-(gnus-configure-frame
- '(frame 1.0
- (vertical 1.0
- (summary 0.25 point)
- (article 1.0))
- (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
- (user-position . t)
- (left . -1) (top . 1))
- (picon 1.0))))
+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?
-@end lisp
+By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
+scoring patterns.
-This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
-configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
-frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
-instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
-should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
-@xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
-Reference Manual}.
+@menu
+* Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
+* Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
+* Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
+@end menu
-Here's a list of all possible keys for
-@code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
-@code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
-@code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
-@code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
-@code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
-@code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
-@code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
+@node Advanced Scoring Syntax
+@subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
-Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
-@code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
-it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
-might be used:
+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.
-@lisp
-(message (horizontal 1.0
- (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
- (vertical 0.24
- (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
- '(summary 0.5))
- (group 1.0)))))
-@end lisp
+These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
+operator, and various match operators.
-@findex gnus-add-configuration
-Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
-complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
-of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
-you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
+Logical operators:
-@lisp
-(gnus-add-configuration
- '(article (vertical 1.0
- (group 4)
- (summary .25 point)
- (article 1.0))))
-@end lisp
+@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}.
-You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
-@file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
-Gnus has been loaded.
+@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}.
-@vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
-If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
-won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
-``right'' window configuration, you can set
-@code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
+@item !
+@itemx not
+@itemx ¬
+This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
+logical negation of the value of its argument.
+@end table
-@node Compilation
-@section Compilation
-@cindex compilation
-@cindex byte-compilation
+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.
-@findex gnus-compile
+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.
-Remember all those line format specification variables?
-@code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
-on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
-unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
-(The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
-associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
-course.)
-To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
-fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
-satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
-you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
-@file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
-this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
-them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
+@node Advanced Scoring Examples
+@subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
+Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
+when he's talking about Gnus:
-@node Mode Lines
-@section Mode Lines
-@cindex mode lines
+@example
+((&
+ ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+ ("subject" "Gnus"))
+ 1000)
+@end example
-@vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
-@code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
-lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
-@code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
-@code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
-Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
-pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
-quicker.
+Quite simple, huh?
-@cindex display-time
+When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
-@vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
-By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
-lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
-to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
-mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
-@code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
-elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
-additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
-this variable:
+@example
+((&
+ ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+ (|
+ ("subject" "Gnus")
+ ("lines" 100 >)))
+ 1000)
+@end example
-@c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'display-time-hook
- (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
- (+ 21
- (if line-number-mode 5 0)
- (if column-number-mode 4 0)
- (length display-time-string)))))
-@end lisp
+However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
+really don't want to read what he's written:
-If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
-strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
-Note that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the
-percentage complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line;
-the user should configure this variable appropriately for their
-configuration.
+@example
+((&
+ ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
+ (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
+ -100000)
+@end example
+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:
-@node Highlighting and Menus
-@section Highlighting and Menus
-@cindex visual
-@cindex highlighting
-@cindex menus
+@example
+((&
+ (1-
+ (&
+ ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
+ ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
+ (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
+ ("body" "white.*socks"))
+ 1000)
+@end example
-@vindex gnus-visual
-The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
-aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
-colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
-file.
+The possibilities are endless.
-This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
-following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
-@table @code
-@item group-highlight
-Do highlights in the group buffer.
-@item summary-highlight
-Do highlights in the summary buffer.
-@item article-highlight
-Do highlights in the article buffer.
-@item highlight
-Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
-@item group-menu
-Create menus in the group buffer.
-@item summary-menu
-Create menus in the summary buffers.
-@item article-menu
-Create menus in the article buffer.
-@item browse-menu
-Create menus in the browse buffer.
-@item server-menu
-Create menus in the server buffer.
-@item score-menu
-Create menus in the score buffers.
-@item menu
-Create menus in all buffers.
-@end table
+@node Advanced Scoring Tips
+@subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
-So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
-buffers, you could say something like:
+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.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
-@end lisp
+The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
+arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
+something like:
-If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
+@example
+...
+(1-
+ (1-
+ ("from" "lars")))
+...
+@end example
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
-@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:
-If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
-in all Gnus buffers.
+@example
+(1-
+ (&
+ ("from" "Lars")
+ ("subject" "Gnus")))
+@end example
-Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
+than it is to say:
-@table @code
-@item gnus-mouse-face
-@vindex gnus-mouse-face
-This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
-mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
+@example
+(&
+ (1- ("from" "Lars"))
+ (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
+@end example
-@end table
-There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
+@node Score Decays
+@section Score Decays
+@cindex score decays
+@cindex decays
-@table @code
+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 gnus-article-menu-hook
-@vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
-Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
+@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.
+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 gnus-group-menu-hook
-@vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
-Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
+@lisp
+(defun gnus-decay-score (score)
+ "Decay SCORE.
+This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
+and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
+ (floor
+ (- score
+ (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
+ (min (abs score)
+ (max gnus-score-decay-constant
+ (* (abs score)
+ gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
+@end lisp
-@item gnus-summary-menu-hook
-@vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
-Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
+@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 gnus-server-menu-hook
-@vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
-Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
+@enumerate
+@item
+Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
-@item gnus-browse-menu-hook
-@vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
-Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
+@item
+Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
-@item gnus-score-menu-hook
-@vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
-Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
+@item
+Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
+score.
+@end enumerate
-@end table
+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.
+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.
-@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!
+@node Various
+@chapter Various
-Right.
+@menu
+* Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
+* Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
+* Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
+* Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
+* Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
+* Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
+* 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 tendonitis 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.
+* Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
+* XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
+* Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
+* Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
+* Various Various:: Things that are really various.
+@end menu
-@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.
+@node Process/Prefix
+@section Process/Prefix
+@cindex process/prefix convention
-@table @code
+Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
+articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
-@item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
-@vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
-Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
+This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
+command to be performed on.
-@item gnus-carpal-button-face
-@vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
-Face used on buttons.
+It goes like this:
-@item gnus-carpal-header-face
-@vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
-Face used on carpal buffer headers.
+If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
+articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
+negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
+with the current one.
-@item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the group buffer.
+@vindex transient-mark-mode
+If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
+active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
-@item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the summary buffer.
+If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
+process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
+the process mark.
-@item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the server buffer.
+If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
+process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
-@item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
-@vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
-Buttons in the browse buffer.
-@end table
+Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
+are avoided.
-All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
-is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
-the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
+Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
+process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
+marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
+@kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
+@vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
+One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
+instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
+Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
+goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
+will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
+summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
+@code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
-@node Daemons
-@section Daemons
-@cindex demons
-@cindex daemons
-Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
-of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
-present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
-while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
-when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
+@node Interactive
+@section Interactive
+@cindex interaction
-Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
-@dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
-@var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
+@table @code
-Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
-been idle for thirty minutes:
+@item gnus-novice-user
+@vindex gnus-novice-user
+If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
+World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
+really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
+to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
+default.
-@lisp
-(gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
-@end lisp
+@item gnus-expert-user
+@vindex gnus-expert-user
+If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
+questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
+matter how strange.
-Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
-idle:
+@item gnus-interactive-catchup
+@vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
+Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
+is @code{t} by default.
-@lisp
-(gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
-@end lisp
+@item gnus-interactive-exit
+@vindex gnus-interactive-exit
+Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
+default.
+@end table
-This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
-in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
-@code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
-If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
-@var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
-the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
-function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
+@node Symbolic Prefixes
+@section Symbolic Prefixes
+@cindex symbolic prefixes
-If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
-be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
-@var{idle} minutes.
+Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
+instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
+@kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
+rule of 900 to the current article.
-If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
-will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
-minutes.
+This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
+additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
+``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
+doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
+for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
+file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
+same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
-And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
-the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
-time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
+@kindex M-i (Summary)
+@findex gnus-symbolic-argument
+I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
+prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
+character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
+prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
+command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
+``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
+@code{b}''. You get the drift.
-@vindex gnus-demon-timestep
-(When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
-seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
-all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
+Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
+hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
+functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
-@vindex gnus-use-demon
-To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
-@code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
+If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
+Interactive}.
-So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
-your @file{.gnus} file:
-@findex gnus-demon-add-handler
-@lisp
-(gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
-@end lisp
+@node Formatting Variables
+@section Formatting Variables
+@cindex formatting variables
-@findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
-@findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
-@findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
-@findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
-Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
-@code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
-@code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just
-put those functions in your @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
+Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
+things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
+@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
+output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
+Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
+be annoyed by.
-@findex gnus-demon-init
-@findex gnus-demon-cancel
-@vindex gnus-demon-handlers
-If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
-run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
-daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
+Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
+%(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
+lots of percentages everywhere.
-Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
-functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
-is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
-behave.
+@menu
+* Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
+* Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
+* Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
+* User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
+* Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
+@end menu
+Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
+@code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
+@code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
+@code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
+@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
+@code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
+@code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
+@code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
-@node NoCeM
-@section NoCeM
-@cindex nocem
-@cindex spam
+All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
+case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
-@dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
-Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
+@kindex M-x gnus-update-format
+@findex gnus-update-format
+Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
+specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
+update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
+examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
-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 @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
-Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
-this will make spam disappear.
+@node Formatting Basics
+@subsection Formatting Basics
-There are some variables to customize, of course:
+Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
+buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
+spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
-@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.
+As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
+modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
+@dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
+@samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
+padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
+the right instead.
-@item gnus-nocem-groups
-@vindex gnus-nocem-groups
-Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
-default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
-"alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
+You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
+particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
+means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
+less than 4 characters wide.
-@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 @code{("Automoose-1"
-"clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
-(Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
-Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
+@node Mode Line Formatting
+@subsection Mode Line Formatting
-@table @samp
-@item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
-@cindex Chris Lewis
-Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
-usenet abuse than anybody else.
+Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
+@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
+buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
+with the following two differences:
-@item Automoose-1
-@cindex CancelMoose[tm]
-The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
-Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
+@enumerate
-@item jem@@xpat.com;
-@cindex Jem
-John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
-days.
+@item
+There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
-@item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
-Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
-postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
-@end table
+@item
+The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
+Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
+@samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
+so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
+display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
+mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
+@code{mode-line-format} variable.
-You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
-ones you want to listen to.
+@end enumerate
-@item gnus-nocem-verifyer
-@vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
-@findex mc-verify
-This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
-says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
-function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
-(which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
-If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
-not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
+@node Advanced Formatting
+@subsection Advanced Formatting
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
+It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
+Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
+be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
+look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
-(defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
- (not (eq 'forged
- (ignore-errors
- (if (mc-verify)
- t
- 'forged)))))
-@end lisp
+These are the valid modifiers:
-This might be dangerous, though.
+@table @code
+@item pad
+@itemx pad-left
+Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
+length.
-@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 pad-right
+Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
+length.
-@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 max
+@itemx max-left
+Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
-@end table
+@item max-right
+Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
+length.
+@item cut
+@itemx cut-left
+Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
-@node Picons
-@section Picons
+@item cut-right
+Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
-So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
-good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
-over your shoulder as you read news.
+@item ignore
+Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
-@menu
-* Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
-* Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
-* Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
-* Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
-* Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
-@end menu
+@item form
+Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
+used.
+@end table
+Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
+will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
+This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
+the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
+@samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
+maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
+than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
-@node Picon Basics
-@subsection Picon Basics
+Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
+last operation, padding.
-What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
+If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
+quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
+gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
+@xref{Compilation}.
-@quotation
-@dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
-constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
-organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
-e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
-databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
-in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
-@code{GIF} formats.
-@end quotation
-For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
-your Web browser at
-@file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
+@node User-Defined Specs
+@subsection User-Defined Specs
-@vindex gnus-picons-database
-Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
-@code{gnus-picons-database}.
+All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
+The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
+will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
+@samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
+a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
+it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
+be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
+specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
+should protect against that.
+You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
+much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
+@samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
+given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
+inserted.
-@node Picon Requirements
-@subsection Picon Requirements
-To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
-19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
-display images.
+@node Formatting Fonts
+@subsection Formatting Fonts
-Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
+There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
+variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
+the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
+highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
+over it.
-@vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
-If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
-the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
-@code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
+Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
+normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
+default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
+and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
+@code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
+@samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
+Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
-@node Easy Picons
-@subsection Easy Picons
+@lisp
+;; Create three face types.
+(setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
+(setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
-To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
-@file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
+;; We want the article count to be in
+;; a bold and green face. So we create
+;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
+(copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
+;; Set the color.
+(set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
+(setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-use-picons t)
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
-(add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
+;; Set the new & fancy format.
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
+ "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
@end lisp
+I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
+and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
-@node Hard Picons
-@subsection Hard Picons
+Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
+mode-line variables.
-Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
-articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
-database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
-author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
-feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
-@table @code
+@node Windows Configuration
+@section Windows Configuration
+@cindex windows configuration
-@item gnus-picons-display-where
-@vindex gnus-picons-display-where
-Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
-default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
-valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
-@samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
-buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
-routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
+No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
-@end table
+@vindex gnus-use-full-window
+If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
+other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
+@code{t} by default.
-Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
-window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
+@vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
+@code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
+buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
-Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
-functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
-displayed at the right time.
+@lisp
+((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
+ (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
+ (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
+ (article 1.0))))
+@end lisp
-@vindex gnus-article-display-hook
-@vindex gnus-picons-display-where
-@table @code
-@item gnus-article-display-picons
-@findex gnus-article-display-picons
-Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
-in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
-the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
+This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
+other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
+configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
+possible names is listed below.
-@item gnus-group-display-picons
-@findex gnus-article-display-picons
-Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
-be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
-@code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
-is set to @code{article}.
+The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
+should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
-@item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
-@findex gnus-article-display-picons
-Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
-should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
+@lisp
+(article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
+ (article 1.0)))
+@end lisp
-@end table
+This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
+half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
+you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
+reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
+@code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
+rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
+whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
+size spec per split.
-Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
-to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
+Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
+@code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
+split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
+fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
+present) gets focus.
+
+Here's a more complicated example:
@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
+(article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
+ (summary 0.25 point)
+ (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
+ (article 1.0)))
@end lisp
+If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
+then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
+occupy, not a percentage.
-@node Picon Configuration
-@subsection Picon Configuration
-
-The following variables offer further control over how things are
-done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
-don't need to worry about.
+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}.
-@table @code
-@item gnus-picons-database
-@vindex gnus-picons-database
-The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
-containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
-subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
+Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
-@item gnus-picons-news-directory
-@vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
-Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
-newsgroups.
+@lisp
+(article (horizontal 1.0
+ (vertical 0.5
+ (group 1.0)
+ (gnus-carpal 4))
+ (vertical 1.0
+ (summary 0.25 point)
+ (summary-carpal 4)
+ (article 1.0))))
+@end lisp
-@item gnus-picons-user-directories
-@vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
-List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
-faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")} is the default.
-
-@item gnus-picons-domain-directories
-@vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
-List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
-domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
-want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
-
-@item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
-@vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
-The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
-(@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
-Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
-gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
-
-@item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
-@vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
-Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
-to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
-
-@item gnus-picons-buffer
-@vindex gnus-picons-buffer
-The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
-@samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
-
-@end table
+Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
+@code{horizontal} thingie?
+If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
+split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
+Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
+fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
+the screen is to be given to this strip.
-@node Undo
-@section Undo
-@cindex undo
+For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
+The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
+lines from the splits.
-It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
-Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
-In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
+To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
+may look like:
-The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
-Gnus---it's all just data that is designed to look nice to the user.
-Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
-disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
-removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
-Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
-@code{undo} function.
+@example
+split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
+frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
+horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
+vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
+buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
+size = number | frame-params
+buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
+@end example
-Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
-does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
-takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
-the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
-However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
-a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
-yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
-That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
-added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
-never be totally undoable.
+The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
+top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
+return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
+may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
-@findex gnus-undo-mode
-@vindex gnus-use-undo
-@findex gnus-undo
-The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
-is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
-default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
-command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
-command.
+@vindex gnus-window-min-width
+@vindex gnus-window-min-height
+@cindex window height
+@cindex window width
+Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
+than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
+windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
+characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
+splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
+you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
+If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
+@code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
+Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
+windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
-@node Moderation
-@section Moderation
-@cindex moderation
+@findex gnus-configure-frame
+If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
+@code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
+that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
+nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
+three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
+@code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
+look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
+Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
+@code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
+configuration list.
-If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
-It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
-@samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
-get a copy.
+@lisp
+(gnus-configure-frame
+ '(horizontal 1.0
+ (vertical 10
+ (group 1.0)
+ (article 0.3 point))
+ (vertical 1.0
+ (article 1.0)
+ (horizontal 4
+ (group 1.0)
+ (article 10)))))
+@end lisp
-The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
-buffers. Put
+You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
+@code{frame} split:
@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
+(gnus-configure-frame
+ '(frame 1.0
+ (vertical 1.0
+ (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
+ (article 1.0))
+ (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
+ (user-position . t)
+ (left . -1) (top . 1))
+ (picon 1.0))))
+
@end lisp
-in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
+This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
+configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
+frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
+instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
+should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
+@xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
+Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
+accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
+is such a plist.
-If you are the moderation of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
-supposed to work:
+Here's a list of all possible keys for
+@code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
-@enumerate
-@item
-You split your incoming mail by matching on
-@samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
-articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
+@code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
+@code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
+@code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
+@code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
+@code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
+@code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
-@item
-You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
-(edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
+Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
+@code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
+it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
+might be used:
-@item
-If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
-articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
-@kbd{c} command.
-@end enumerate
+@lisp
+(message (horizontal 1.0
+ (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
+ (vertical 0.24
+ (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
+ '(summary 0.5))
+ (group 1.0)))))
+@end lisp
-To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
+@findex gnus-add-configuration
+Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
+complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
+of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
+you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-moderated-list
- "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
+(gnus-add-configuration
+ '(article (vertical 1.0
+ (group 4)
+ (summary .25 point)
+ (article 1.0))))
@end lisp
+You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
+@file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
+Gnus has been loaded.
-@node XEmacs Enhancements
-@section XEmacs Enhancements
-@cindex XEmacs
+@vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
+If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
+won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
+``right'' window configuration, you can set
+@code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
-XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
-advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
-@table @code
-@item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
-@vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
-This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
-auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
-unusual directory structure.
+@node Faces and Fonts
+@section Faces and Fonts
+@cindex faces
+@cindex fonts
+@cindex colors
-@item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
-@vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
-This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
-foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
+Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
+it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
+the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
+interface.
-@item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
-@vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
-This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
-Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
-@code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
-@code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
-@item gnus-use-toolbar
-@vindex gnus-use-toolbar
-If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
-one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
-@code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
+@node Compilation
+@section Compilation
+@cindex compilation
+@cindex byte-compilation
-@item gnus-group-toolbar
-@vindex gnus-group-toolbar
-The toolbar in the group buffer.
+@findex gnus-compile
-@item gnus-summary-toolbar
-@vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
-The toolbar in the summary buffer.
+Remember all those line format specification variables?
+@code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
+on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
+unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
+(The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
+associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
+course.)
-@item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
-@vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
-The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
+To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
+fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
+satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
+you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
+@file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
+this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
+them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
-@item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
-@vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
-A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
-default.
-@end table
+@node Mode Lines
+@section Mode Lines
+@cindex mode lines
+@vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
+@code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
+lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
+@code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
+@code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
+Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
+pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
+quicker.
-@node Fuzzy Matching
-@section Fuzzy Matching
-@cindex fuzzy matching
-
-Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
-things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
-
-As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
-It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
-means, and the implementation has changed over time.
-
-Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
-@samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
-out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
-adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
-manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
+@cindex display-time
+@vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
+By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
+lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
+to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
+mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
+@code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
+elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
+additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
+this variable:
-@node Thwarting Email Spam
-@section Thwarting Email Spam
-@cindex email spam
-@cindex spam
-@cindex UCE
-@cindex unsolicited commercial email
+@c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'display-time-hook
+ (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
+ (+ 21
+ (if line-number-mode 5 0)
+ (if column-number-mode 4 0)
+ (length display-time-string)))))
+@end lisp
-In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
-and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
-foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
-people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
-lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
-people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
-well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
-perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
-in the end.
+If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
+strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
+that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
+complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
+configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
-The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
-false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
-have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and selects the
-mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
-(``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrouos hair on your toes!'')
-and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
-This is annoying.
+@node Highlighting and Menus
+@section Highlighting and Menus
+@cindex visual
+@cindex highlighting
+@cindex menus
-The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
-@samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
+@vindex gnus-visual
+The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
+aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
+colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
+file.
-First, pick one (1) legal mail address that you can be reached at, and
-put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
-chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
-@samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
-sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
-part of the mail address.)
+This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
+following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
-@lisp
-(setq message-default-news-headers
- "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
-@end lisp
+@table @code
+@item group-highlight
+Do highlights in the group buffer.
+@item summary-highlight
+Do highlights in the summary buffer.
+@item article-highlight
+Do highlights in the article buffer.
+@item highlight
+Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
+@item group-menu
+Create menus in the group buffer.
+@item summary-menu
+Create menus in the summary buffers.
+@item article-menu
+Create menus in the article buffer.
+@item browse-menu
+Create menus in the browse buffer.
+@item server-menu
+Create menus in the server buffer.
+@item score-menu
+Create menus in the score buffers.
+@item menu
+Create menus in all buffers.
+@end table
-Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
-(@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
+So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
+buffers, you could say something like:
@lisp
-(
- ...
- (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
- (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
- ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
- "spam"))
- ...
-)
+(setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
@end lisp
-This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
-@code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
-header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
-(This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
-
-In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
-and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
-header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
-twarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
-put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
-your fancy split rule in this way:
+If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
@lisp
-(
- ...
- (to "larsi" "misc")
- "spam")
+(setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
@end lisp
-In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
-group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
-check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
-citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
-each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
+If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
+in all Gnus buffers.
-If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
-automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, availiable FOR FREE
-at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
-Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
-cosmic balance somewhat.
+Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
-This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
-just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
-spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
-to non-existant domains is yucky, in my opinion.
+@table @code
+@item gnus-mouse-face
+@vindex gnus-mouse-face
+This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
+mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
+@end table
-@node Various Various
-@section Various Various
-@cindex mode lines
-@cindex highlights
+There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
@table @code
-@item gnus-home-directory
-All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
-defaults to @file{~/}.
-
-@item gnus-directory
-@vindex gnus-directory
-Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
-which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
-@file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
+@item gnus-article-menu-hook
+@vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
+Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
-@item gnus-default-directory
-@vindex gnus-default-directory
-Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
-default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
-like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
-default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
-default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
-buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
+@item gnus-group-menu-hook
+@vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
+Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
-@item gnus-verbose
-@vindex gnus-verbose
-This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
-the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
-will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
-most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
-shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
+@item gnus-summary-menu-hook
+@vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
+Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
-@item gnus-verbose-backends
-@vindex gnus-verbose-backends
-This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
-to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
+@item gnus-server-menu-hook
+@vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
+Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
-@item nnheader-max-head-length
-@vindex nnheader-max-head-length
-When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
-as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
-the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
-on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
-variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
-@code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
-but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
-@code{ange-ftp}.
+@item gnus-browse-menu-hook
+@vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
+Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
-@item nnheader-head-chop-length
-@vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
-This variable says how big a piece of each article to read when doing
-the operation described above.
+@item gnus-score-menu-hook
+@vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
+Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
-@item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
-@vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
-@cindex file names
-@cindex illegal characters in file names
-@cindex characters in file names
-This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
-For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
-on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
+@end table
-@lisp
-(setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
- '((?: . ?_)))
-@end lisp
-In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
-Windows (phooey) systems.
+@node Buttons
+@section Buttons
+@cindex buttons
+@cindex mouse
+@cindex click
-@item gnus-hidden-properties
-@vindex gnus-hidden-properties
-This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
-@code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
-makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
+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!
-@item gnus-parse-headers-hook
-@vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
-A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
-gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
-some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
+Right.
-@item gnus-shell-command-separator
-@vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
-String used to separate to shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
+@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.
-@end table
+@table @code
+@item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
+@vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
+Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
-@node The End
-@chapter The End
+@item gnus-carpal-button-face
+@vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
+Face used on buttons.
-Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
-touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
+@item gnus-carpal-header-face
+@vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
+Face used on carpal buffer headers.
-My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
-
-Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
+@item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
+@vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
+Buttons in the group buffer.
-@quotation
-@strong{Te Deum}
+@item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
+@vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
+Buttons in the summary buffer.
-@sp 1
-Not because of victories @*
-I sing,@*
-having none,@*
-but for the common sunshine,@*
-the breeze,@*
-the largess of the spring.
+@item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
+@vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
+Buttons in the server buffer.
-@sp 1
-Not for victory@*
-but for the day's work done@*
-as well as I was able;@*
-not for a seat upon the dais@*
-but at the common table.@*
-@end quotation
+@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 Appendices
-@chapter Appendices
-@menu
-* History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
-* Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
-* Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
-* Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
-* A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
-* Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
-* Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
-@end menu
+@node Daemons
+@section Daemons
+@cindex demons
+@cindex daemons
+Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
+of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
+present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
+while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
+when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
-@node History
-@section History
+Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
+@dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
+@var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
-@cindex history
-@sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
-'94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
+Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
+been idle for thirty minutes:
-If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
-can point your (feh!) web browser to
-@file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
-distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
-as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
+@lisp
+(gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
+@end lisp
-During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
-called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
-@dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
-(Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
-pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
-appropriate name, don't you think?)
+Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
+idle:
-In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
-spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
-renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
-``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
+@lisp
+(gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
+@end lisp
-The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
-was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
-plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
+This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
+in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
+@code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
-In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
-releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
+If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
+@var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
+the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
+function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
-On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
-January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4''.
+If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
+be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
+@var{idle} minutes.
-If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a name that is prefixed --
-``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
-don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
-Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
-out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
-to that instead.
+If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
+will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
+minutes.
-@menu
-* Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
-* Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
-* Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
-* Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
-* Contributors:: Oodles of people.
-* New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
-* Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
-@end menu
+And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
+the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
+time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
+@vindex gnus-demon-timestep
+(When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
+seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
+all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
-@node Why?
-@subsection Why?
+@vindex gnus-use-demon
+To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
+@code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
-What's the point of Gnus?
+So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
+your @file{.gnus} file:
-I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
-newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
-original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
-me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
-Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
-volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
-newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
-newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
-keep track of millions of people who post?
+@findex gnus-demon-add-handler
+@lisp
+(gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
+@end lisp
-Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
-like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
-reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
-to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
-interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
-and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
-everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
-of you to explore and invent.
+@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-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
+@file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
-May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
+@findex gnus-demon-init
+@findex gnus-demon-cancel
+@vindex gnus-demon-handlers
+If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
+run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
+daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
+Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
+functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
+is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
+behave.
-@node Compatibility
-@subsection Compatibility
-@cindex compatibility
-Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
-bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
-but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
+@node NoCeM
+@section NoCeM
+@cindex nocem
+@cindex spam
-Our motto is:
-@quotation
-@cartouche
-@center In a cloud bones of steel.
-@end cartouche
-@end quotation
+@dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
+Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
-All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
-their names.
+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.
-The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
-Articles}.
+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 @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
-One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
-buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
-buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
-important variables have their values copied into their global
-counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
-change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
+Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
+this will make spam disappear.
-All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
-fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
-changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
-maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
-speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
-peculiar results.
+There are some variables to customize, of course:
-@cindex hilit19
-@cindex highlighting
-Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
-remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
-(@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
-Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
-faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
-by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
-Away!
+@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.
-Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
-fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
-code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
-does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
+@item gnus-nocem-groups
+@vindex gnus-nocem-groups
+Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
+default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
+"alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
-Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
-new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
-doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
-to stop doing it the old way.
+@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 @code{("Automoose-1"
+"rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
+"jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
+(Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
-Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
+Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
-@kindex M-x gnus-bug
-@findex gnus-bug
-@cindex reporting bugs
-@cindex bugs
-Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
-@sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
-please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
+@table @samp
+@item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
+@cindex Chris Lewis
+Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
+usenet abuse than anybody else.
+@item Automoose-1
+@cindex CancelMoose[tm]
+The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
+Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
-@node Conformity
-@subsection Conformity
+@item jem@@xpat.com;
+@cindex Jem
+John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
+days.
-No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
-to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
-with, of course.
+@item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
+Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
+postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
+@end table
-@table @strong
+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
+@var{(issuer conditions ...)} 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 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:
-@item RFC 822
-@cindex RFC 822
-There are no known breaches of this standard.
+@lisp
+("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
+@end lisp
-@item RFC 1036
-@cindex RFC 1036
-There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
+On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
+@samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
-@item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
-@cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
-Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
-the next inspection.
+@lisp
+("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
+@end lisp
-@item Son-of-RFC 1036
-@cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
-We do have some breaches to this one.
+The specs are applied left-to-right.
-@table @emph
-@item MIME
-Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
-MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
+@item gnus-nocem-verifyer
+@vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
+@findex mc-verify
+This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
+says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
+function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
+(which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
-@item X-Newsreader
-This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
-consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
-coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
-those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
-for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
-@end table
+If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
+not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
+
+(defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
+ (not (eq 'forged
+ (ignore-errors
+ (if (mc-verify)
+ t
+ 'forged)))))
+@end lisp
+
+This might be dangerous, though.
+
+@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.
@end table
-If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
-mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
-know.
+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 Emacsen
-@subsection Emacsen
-@cindex Emacsen
-@cindex XEmacs
-@cindex Mule
-@cindex Emacs
+@node Undo
+@section Undo
+@cindex undo
-Gnus should work on :
+It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
+Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
+In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
+
+The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
+Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
+Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
+disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
+removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
+Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
+@code{undo} function.
+
+Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
+does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
+takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
+the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
+However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
+a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
+yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
+That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
+added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
+never be totally undoable.
-@itemize @bullet
+@findex gnus-undo-mode
+@vindex gnus-use-undo
+@findex gnus-undo
+The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
+is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
+default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
+command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
+command.
+
+
+@node Moderation
+@section Moderation
+@cindex moderation
+
+If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
+It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
+@samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
+get a copy.
+
+The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
+buffers. Put
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
+@end lisp
+in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
+
+If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
+supposed to work:
+
+@enumerate
@item
-Emacs 19.32 and up.
+You split your incoming mail by matching on
+@samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
+articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
@item
-XEmacs 19.14 and up.
+You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
+(edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
-@item
-Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
+@item
+If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
+articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
+@kbd{c} command.
+@end enumerate
-@end itemize
+To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
-Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
-reliably, at least.
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-moderated-list
+ "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
+@end lisp
-There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
-platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
-other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
-Emacsen.
+@node XEmacs Enhancements
+@section XEmacs Enhancements
+@cindex XEmacs
-@node Contributors
-@subsection Contributors
-@cindex contributors
+XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
+advantage of that.
-The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
-people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
-gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
-every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
-tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
-type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
-work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
-off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
-Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
-``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
+@menu
+* Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
+* Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
+* Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
+* XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
+@end menu
-I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
-wrong show.
-@itemize @bullet
+@node Picons
+@subsection Picons
-@item
-Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\include{picons}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
-@item
-Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
-well as numerous other things).
+So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
+good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
+over your shoulder as you read news.
+
+@menu
+* Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
+* Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
+* Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
+* Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
+* Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Picon Basics
+@subsubsection Picon Basics
+
+What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\margindex{}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+@quotation
+@dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
+constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
+organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
+e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
+databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
+in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
+@code{GIF} formats.
+@end quotation
+
+@vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
+If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
+Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
+@code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
+@file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
+
+@vindex gnus-picons-database
+Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
+obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
+@file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
+picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
+@code{gnus-picons-database}.
+
+
+@node Picon Requirements
+@subsubsection Picon Requirements
+
+To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
+19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
+display images.
+
+Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
+display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
+you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
+
+@vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
+If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
+the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
+the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
+@code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
-@item
-Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
+@node Easy Picons
+@subsubsection Easy Picons
+
+To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
+@file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-use-picons t)
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
+ 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
+ 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
+@end lisp
+
+and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
+containing the Picons databases.
+
+Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
+ "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
+@end lisp
+
+
+@node Hard Picons
+@subsubsection Hard Picons
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\margindex{}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
+articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
+database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
+author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
+feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
+display them.
+
+@table @code
+
+@item gnus-picons-database
+@vindex gnus-picons-database
+The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
+containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
+subdirectories. This is only useful if
+@code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
+@file{/usr/local/faces/}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
+@vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
+The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
+engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
+workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
+this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
+database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-display-where
+@vindex gnus-picons-display-where
+Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
+default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
+valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
+@samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
+buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
+routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
+@vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
+Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
+displayed.
+
+@end table
+
+Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
+window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
+
+Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
+functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
+at the right time.
+
+@vindex gnus-article-display-hook
+@vindex gnus-picons-display-where
+@table @code
+@item gnus-article-display-picons
+@findex gnus-article-display-picons
+Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
+in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
+@code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
+@findex gnus-article-display-picons
+Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
+should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
+
+@end table
+
+Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
+for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
+@end lisp
+
+
+@node Picon Useless Configuration
+@subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\margindex{}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+The following variables offer further control over how things are
+done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
+don't need to worry about.
+
+@table @code
+
+@item gnus-picons-news-directories
+@vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
+List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
+newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
+
+@item gnus-picons-user-directories
+@vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
+List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
+faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
+
+@item gnus-picons-domain-directories
+@vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
+List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
+domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
+want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
+
+@item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
+@vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
+If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
+command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
+(@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
+Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
+gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
+
+@item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
+@vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
+Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
+to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
+@vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
+If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
+XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
+can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
+remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
+@code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
+@vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
+If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
+Defaults to @code{nil}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-display-as-address
+@vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
+If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
+Defaults to @code{t}.
+
+@item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
+@vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
+Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
+@code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
+
+@item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
+@vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
+Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
+has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
+
+@item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
+@vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
+Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
+picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
+process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
+Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
+@code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
+cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\margindex{}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+@end table
+
+@node Smileys
+@subsection Smileys
+@cindex smileys
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
+\input{smiley}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+@dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
+currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
+
+In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
+@file{.gnus.el} file:
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
+@end lisp
+
+Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
+the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
+faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
+text and maps that to file names.
+
+@vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
+@vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
+Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
+@code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
+and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
+@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
+
+The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
+which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
+
+The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
+element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
+and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
+
+The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
+files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
+
+@table @code
+
+@item smiley-data-directory
+@vindex smiley-data-directory
+Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
+
+@item smiley-flesh-color
+@vindex smiley-flesh-color
+Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
+
+@item smiley-features-color
+@vindex smiley-features-color
+Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
+
+@item smiley-tongue-color
+@vindex smiley-tongue-color
+Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
+
+@item smiley-circle-color
+@vindex smiley-circle-color
+Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
+
+@item smiley-mouse-face
+@vindex smiley-mouse-face
+Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
+
+@end table
+
+
+@node Toolbar
+@subsection Toolbar
+
+@table @code
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\margindex{}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+@item gnus-use-toolbar
+@vindex gnus-use-toolbar
+If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
+one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
+@code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
+
+@item gnus-group-toolbar
+@vindex gnus-group-toolbar
+The toolbar in the group buffer.
+
+@item gnus-summary-toolbar
+@vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
+The toolbar in the summary buffer.
+
+@item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
+@vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
+The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
+
+@end table
+
+
+@node XVarious
+@subsection Various XEmacs Variables
+
+@table @code
+@item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
+@vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
+This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
+auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
+unusual directory structure.
+
+@item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
+@vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
+This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
+foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
+
+@item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
+@vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
+This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
+Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
+@code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
+@code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
+
+@item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
+@vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
+A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
+default.
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\margindex{}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+@end table
+
+
+
+
+@node Fuzzy Matching
+@section Fuzzy Matching
+@cindex fuzzy matching
+
+Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
+things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
+
+As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
+It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
+means, and the implementation has changed over time.
+
+Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
+@samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
+out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
+adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
+manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
+
+
+@node Thwarting Email Spam
+@section Thwarting Email Spam
+@cindex email spam
+@cindex spam
+@cindex UCE
+@cindex unsolicited commercial email
+
+In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
+and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
+foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
+people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
+lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
+people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
+well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
+perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
+in the end.
+
+The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
+false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
+have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
+mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
+(``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
+and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
+
+This is annoying.
+
+The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
+@samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
+
+First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
+put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
+chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
+@samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
+sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
+part of the mail address.)
+
+@lisp
+(setq message-default-news-headers
+ "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
+@end lisp
+
+Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
+(@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
+
+@lisp
+(
+ ...
+ (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
+ (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
+ ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
+ "spam"))
+ ...
+)
+@end lisp
+
+This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
+@code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
+header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
+(This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
+
+In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
+and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
+header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
+thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
+put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
+your fancy split rule in this way:
+
+@lisp
+(
+ ...
+ (to "larsi" "misc")
+ "spam")
+@end lisp
+
+In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
+group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
+check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
+citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
+each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
+
+If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
+automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
+at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
+Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
+cosmic balance somewhat.
+
+This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
+just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
+spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
+to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
+
+
+@node Various Various
+@section Various Various
+@cindex mode lines
+@cindex highlights
+
+@table @code
+
+@item gnus-home-directory
+All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
+defaults to @file{~/}.
+
+@item gnus-directory
+@vindex gnus-directory
+Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
+which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
+@file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
+
+Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
+This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
+variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
+@file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
+
+@item gnus-default-directory
+@vindex gnus-default-directory
+Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
+default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
+like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
+default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
+default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
+buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
+
+@item gnus-verbose
+@vindex gnus-verbose
+This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
+the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
+will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
+most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
+shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
+
+@item gnus-verbose-backends
+@vindex gnus-verbose-backends
+This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
+to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
+
+@item nnheader-max-head-length
+@vindex nnheader-max-head-length
+When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
+as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
+the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
+on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
+variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
+@code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
+but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
+@code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
+
+@item nnheader-head-chop-length
+@vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
+This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
+read when doing the operation described above.
+
+@item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
+@vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
+@cindex file names
+@cindex invalid characters in file names
+@cindex characters in file names
+This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
+For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
+on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
+
+@lisp
+(setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
+ '((?: . ?_)))
+@end lisp
+
+In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
+Windows (phooey) systems.
+
+@item gnus-hidden-properties
+@vindex gnus-hidden-properties
+This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
+@code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
+makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
+
+@item gnus-parse-headers-hook
+@vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
+A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
+gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
+some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
+
+@item gnus-shell-command-separator
+@vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
+String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
+
+
+@end table
+
+
+@node The End
+@chapter The End
+
+Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
+touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
+
+My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
+
+Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
+
+@quotation
+@strong{Te Deum}
+
+@sp 1
+Not because of victories @*
+I sing,@*
+having none,@*
+but for the common sunshine,@*
+the breeze,@*
+the largess of the spring.
+
+@sp 1
+Not for victory@*
+but for the day's work done@*
+as well as I was able;@*
+not for a seat upon the dais@*
+but at the common table.@*
+@end quotation
+
+
+@node Appendices
+@chapter Appendices
+
+@menu
+* History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
+* Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
+* Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
+* Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
+* A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
+* Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
+* Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
+@end menu
+
+
+@node History
+@section History
+
+@cindex history
+@sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
+'94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
+
+If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
+can point your (feh!) web browser to
+@file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
+distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
+as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
+
+During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
+called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
+@dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
+(Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
+pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
+appropriate name, don't you think?)
+
+In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
+spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
+renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
+``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
+
+The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
+was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
+plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
+
+In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
+releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
+
+On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
+January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
+
+On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
+releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
+
+If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
+``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
+don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
+Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
+out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
+to that instead.
+
+@menu
+* Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
+* Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
+* Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
+* Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
+* Contributors:: Oodles of people.
+* New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
+* Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Why?
+@subsection Why?
+
+What's the point of Gnus?
+
+I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
+newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
+original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
+me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
+Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
+volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
+newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
+newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
+keep track of millions of people who post?
+
+Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
+like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
+reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
+to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
+interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
+and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
+everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
+every one of you to explore and invent.
+
+May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
+@kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
+
+
+@node Compatibility
+@subsection Compatibility
+
+@cindex compatibility
+Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
+bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
+but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
+
+Our motto is:
+@quotation
+@cartouche
+@center In a cloud bones of steel.
+@end cartouche
+@end quotation
+
+All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
+their names.
+
+The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
+Articles}.
+
+One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
+buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
+buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
+important variables have their values copied into their global
+counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
+change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
+
+All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
+fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
+changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
+maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
+speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
+peculiar results.
+
+@cindex hilit19
+@cindex highlighting
+Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
+remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
+(@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
+Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
+faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
+by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
+Away!
+
+Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
+fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
+code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
+does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
+
+Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
+new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
+doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
+to stop doing it the old way.
+
+Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
+
+@kindex M-x gnus-bug
+@findex gnus-bug
+@cindex reporting bugs
+@cindex bugs
+Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
+@sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
+please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
+
+@vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
+If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
+may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
+@code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
+up at you.
+
+
+@node Conformity
+@subsection Conformity
+
+No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
+to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
+with, of course.
+
+@table @strong
+
+@item RFC 822
+@cindex RFC 822
+There are no known breaches of this standard.
+
+@item RFC 1036
+@cindex RFC 1036
+There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
+
+@item Son-of-RFC 1036
+@cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
+We do have some breaches to this one.
+
+@table @emph
+
+@item MIME
+Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
+MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
+
+@item X-Newsreader
+This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
+consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
+coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
+those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
+for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
+@end table
+
+@end table
+
+If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
+mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
+know.
+
+
+@node Emacsen
+@subsection Emacsen
+@cindex Emacsen
+@cindex XEmacs
+@cindex Mule
+@cindex Emacs
+
+Gnus should work on :
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+Emacs 19.32 and up.
+
+@item
+XEmacs 19.14 and up.
+
+@item
+Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
+
+@end itemize
+
+Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
+reliably, at least.
+
+There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
+platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
+other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
+Emacsen.
+
+
+@node Contributors
+@subsection Contributors
+@cindex contributors
+
+The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
+people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
+gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
+every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
+tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
+type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
+work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
+off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
+Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
+``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
+
+I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
+wrong show.
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
+
+@item
+Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
+well as numerous other things).
+
+@item
+Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
+
+@item
+Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
+
+@item
+Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
+@dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
+
+@item
+Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
+
+@item
+Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
+(@pxref{GroupLens}).
+
+@item
+Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
+
+@item
+Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
+
+@item
+Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
+
+@item
+Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
+
+@item
+Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
+distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
+
+@item
+Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
+
+@item
+Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
+
+@item
+Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
+
+@item
+Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
+.newsrc files.
+
+@item
+Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
+
+@item
+David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
+
+@item
+Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
+
+@item
+François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
+well as autoconf support.
+
+@end itemize
+
+This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
+Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
+
+The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
+
+Christopher Davis,
+Andrew Eskilsson,
+Kai Grossjohann,
+David Kågedal,
+Richard Pieri,
+Fabrice Popineau,
+Daniel Quinlan,
+Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
+and
+Jack Vinson.
+
+Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
+
+Jari Aalto,
+Adrian Aichner,
+Vladimir Alexiev,
+Russ Allbery,
+Peter Arius,
+Matt Armstrong,
+Marc Auslander,
+Frank Bennett,
+Robert Bihlmeyer,
+Chris Bone,
+Mark Borges,
+Mark Boyns,
+Lance A. Brown,
+Kees de Bruin,
+Martin Buchholz,
+Joe Buehler,
+Kevin Buhr,
+Alastair Burt,
+Joao Cachopo,
+Zlatko Calusic,
+Massimo Campostrini,
+Castor,
+David Charlap,
+Dan Christensen,
+Kevin Christian,
+Michael R. Cook,
+Glenn Coombs,
+Frank D. Cringle,
+Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
+Andre Deparade,
+Ulrik Dickow,
+Dave Disser,
+Rui-Tao Dong, @c ?
+Joev Dubach,
+Michael Welsh Duggan,
+Dave Edmondson,
+Paul Eggert,
+Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
+Michael Ernst,
+Luc Van Eycken,
+Sam Falkner,
+Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
+Sigbjorn Finne,
+Decklin Foster,
+Gary D. Foster,
+Paul Franklin,
+Guy Geens,
+Arne Georg Gleditsch,
+David S. Goldberg,
+Michelangelo Grigni,
+D. Hall,
+Magnus Hammerin,
+Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
+Raja R. Harinath,
+Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
+P. E. Jareth Hein,
+Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
+Marc Horowitz,
+Gunnar Horrigmo,
+Richard Hoskins,
+Brad Howes,
+François Felix Ingrand,
+Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
+Lee Iverson,
+Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
+Rajappa Iyer,
+Andreas Jaeger,
+Randell Jesup,
+Fred Johansen,
+Simon Josefsson,
+Greg Klanderman,
+Karl Kleinpaste,
+Peter Skov Knudsen,
+Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
+Thor Kristoffersen,
+Jens Lautenbacher,
+Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
+Carsten Leonhardt,
+James LewisMoss,
+Christian Limpach,
+Markus Linnala,
+Dave Love,
+Mike McEwan,
+Tonny Madsen,
+Shlomo Mahlab,
+Nat Makarevitch,
+Istvan Marko,
+David Martin,
+Jason R. Mastaler,
+Gordon Matzigkeit,
+Timo Metzemakers,
+Richard Mlynarik,
+Lantz Moore,
+Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
+Erik Toubro Nielsen,
+Hrvoje Niksic,
+Andy Norman,
+Fred Oberhauser,
+C. R. Oldham,
+Alexandre Oliva,
+Ken Olstad,
+Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
+Hideki Ono, @c Ono
+William Perry,
+Stephen Peters,
+Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
+Ulrich Pfeifer,
+John McClary Prevost,
+Mike Pullen,
+Jim Radford,
+Colin Rafferty,
+Lasse Rasinen,
+Lars Balker Rasmussen,
+Joe Reiss,
+Renaud Rioboo,
+Roland B. Roberts,
+Bart Robinson,
+Christian von Roques,
+Jason Rumney,
+Wolfgang Rupprecht,
+Jay Sachs,
+Dewey M. Sasser,
+Loren Schall,
+Dan Schmidt,
+Ralph Schleicher,
+Philippe Schnoebelen,
+Andreas Schwab,
+Randal L. Schwartz,
+Justin Sheehy,
+Danny Siu,
+Matt Simmons,
+Paul D. Smith,
+Jeff Sparkes,
+Toby Speight,
+Michael Sperber,
+Darren Stalder,
+Richard Stallman,
+Greg Stark,
+Sam Steingold,
+Paul Stodghill,
+Kurt Swanson,
+Samuel Tardieu,
+Teddy,
+Chuck Thompson,
+Philippe Troin,
+James Troup,
+Aaron M. Ucko,
+Aki Vehtari,
+Didier Verna,
+Jan Vroonhof,
+Stefan Waldherr,
+Pete Ware,
+Barry A. Warsaw,
+Christoph Wedler,
+Joe Wells,
+Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
+and
+Shenghuo Zhu. @c Zhu
+
+For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
+included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
+(550kB and counting).
+
+Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
+sure.
+
+Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
+actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
+
+
+@node New Features
+@subsection New Features
+@cindex new features
+
+@menu
+* ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
+* September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
+* Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
+* Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6.
+@end menu
+
+These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
+@emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
+Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
+
+
+@node ding Gnus
+@subsubsection (ding) Gnus
+
+New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
+(@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
+
+@item
+Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
+(@pxref{Select Methods}).
+
+@item
+You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
+
+@item
+You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
+All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
+(@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
+
+@item
+Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
+their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
+can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
+(@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
+
+@item
+Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
+them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
+
+@item
+Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
+entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
+(@pxref{The Active File}).
+
+@item
+Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
+(@pxref{Group Levels}).
+
+@item
+You can score articles according to any number of criteria
+(@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
+articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
+
+@item
+Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
+manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
+read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
+
+@item
+Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
+the @file{.emacs} file.
+
+@item
+You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
+operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+
+@item
+You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
+results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
+
+@item
+You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
+(@pxref{Listing Groups}).
+
+@item
+You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
+servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
+
+@item
+Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
+server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
+
+@item
+You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
+
+@item
+The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
+(@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
+
+@item
+You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
+of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
+
+@item
+Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
+glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
+
+@item
+Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
+
+@item
+Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
+(@pxref{Document Groups}).
+
+@item
+Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
+Articles}).
+
+@item
+URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
+Buttons}).
+
+@item
+You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
+configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
+
+@item
+You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
+(@pxref{Buttons}).
+
+@end itemize
+
+
+@node September Gnus
+@subsubsection September Gnus
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
+for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
+now obsolete.
+
+@item
+Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
+missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
+Threading}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
+(@pxref{Archived Messages}).
+
+@item
+Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
+referred.
+
+@item
+Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
+
+@item
+Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
+
+@item
+A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-use-trees t)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
+buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
+Groups}).
+
+@item
+Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
+Topics}).
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
+
+@item
+Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
+is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
+groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
+
+@item
+Caching is possible in virtual groups.
+
+@item
+@code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
+news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
+else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
+
+@item
+Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
+(@pxref{SOUP}).
+
+@item
+The Gnus cache is much faster.
+
+@item
+Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
+Groups}).
+
+@item
+New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
+expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
+
+@item
+All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
+(@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
+
+@item
+There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
+marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
+
+@item
+The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
+articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
+bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
+
+@item
+Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
+(@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
+
+@item
+All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
+
+@item
+Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
+ 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
+
+@item
+Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
+
+@item
+All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
+buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
+
+@item
+Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
+Configuration}).
+
+@item
+Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
+@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}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
+
+@item
+Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
+
+@item
+Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
+(@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
+ 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
+refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
+buffer to allow easier treatment.
+
+@item
+Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
+
+@item
+Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
+Articles}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+@code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
+articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
+(@pxref{Article Washing}).
+
+@item
+Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
+cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
+ 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
+
+@item
+Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
+
+@end itemize
+
+
+@node Red Gnus
+@subsubsection Red Gnus
+
+New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
+
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+@file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
+
+@item
+Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
+Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
+
+@item
+Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
+@code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
+Scoring}).
+
+@item
+Article washing status can be displayed in the
+article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
+
+@item
+@file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
+
+@item
+Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
+(@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
+considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
+been added.
+
+@item
+@code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
+Server Internals}).
+
+@item
+Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
+Parameters}).
+
+@item
+Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
+
+@item
+Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
+(@pxref{Article Signature}).
+
+@item
+Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
+numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
+articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
+
+@item
+Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
+another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
+
+@item
+There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
+when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
+
+@item
+Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
+(@pxref{Undo}).
+
+@item
+Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
+(@pxref{Score File Format}).
+
+@item
+Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
+(@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-decay-scores t)
+@end lisp
+
+@item
+Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
+normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
+
+@item
+A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
+the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
+
+@item
+A new command for reading collections of documents
+(@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
+(@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
+
+@item
+Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
+Marks}).
+
+@item
+A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
+server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
+
+@item
+A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
+(@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
+(@pxref{Web Searches}).
+
+@item
+Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
+functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
+Sorting}).
+
+@item
+Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
+Groups}).
+
+@item
+Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
+Commands}).
+@iftex
+@iflatex
+\marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
+@end iflatex
+@end iftex
+
+@item
+Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
+Variables}).
+
+@item
+Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
+Mail}).
+
+@item
+More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
+mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
+
+@item
+Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
+ 'gnus-article-emphasize)
+@end lisp
+
+@end itemize
+
+
+@node Quassia Gnus
+@subsubsection Quassia Gnus
+
+New features in Gnus 5.6:
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
+added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
+@pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
+
+@item
+ The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
+before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
+group, which is created automatically.
+
+@item
+@code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
+values.
+
+@item
+ @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
+
+@item
+ A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
+outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
+
+@item
+ You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
+@kbd{C-u C-c C-c}.
+
+@item
+ @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
+
+@item
+ @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
+re-highlighting of the article buffer.
+
+@item
+ New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
+
+@item
+ @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
+Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
+
+@item
+ @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
+@kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
+
+@item
+ @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
+control over simplification.
+
+@item
+ @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
+
+@item
+ @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
+limit.
+
+@item
+ @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
+
+@item
+ @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
+
+@item
+ The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
+If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
+rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
+
+@item
+ Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
+@kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
+
+@item
+ New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
+text---@kbd{W d}.
+
+@item
+ For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
+@code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
+
+@item
+ @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
+controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
+
+@item
+ A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
+has been added.
+
+@item
+ A history of where mails have been split is available.
+
+@item
+ A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
+
+@item
+ Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
+@code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
+
+@item
+ A new function for citing in Message has been
+added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
+
+@item
+ @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
+
+@item
+ A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
+been added.
+
+@item
+ A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
+@code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
+
+@item
+ The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
+updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
+
+@item
+ Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
+
+@item
+ Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
+
+@end itemize
+
+
+@node Newest Features
+@subsection Newest Features
+@cindex todo
+
+Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
+next millennium.
+
+Be afraid. Be very afraid.
+
+(That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
+decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
+interesting.)
+
+(Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
+
+@itemize @bullet
+
+@item
+Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
+
+@item
+Really do unbinhexing.
+
+@item
+ I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
+latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
+
+@item
+ A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
+
+@item
+ http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
+
+@item
+ facep is not declared.
+
+@item
+ Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
+isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
+
+@item
+ Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
+
+@item
+@example
+ Hypermail:
+<URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
+<URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
+<URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
+<URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
+http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
+<URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
+http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
+
+@end example
+
+@item
+@samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
+
+@item
+ gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
+
+@item
+ when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
+@item
+ starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
+NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
+@item
+ nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
+@item
+ FAQ doesn't have an up node?
+@item
+ when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
+the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
+@item
+ `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
+@item
+ nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
+be marked as unread.
+@item
+ Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
+@item
+ when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
+@item
+ rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
+to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
+@item
+ expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
+@item
+ implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
+@item
+ ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
+stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
+@item
+ topics that contain just groups with ticked
+articles aren't displayed.
+@item
+ nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
+@item
+ If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
+make the mail groups killed.
+@item
+ no "no news is good news" when using topics.
+@item
+ when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
+and articles have to be removed.
+@item
+ nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
+parts.
+@item
+ scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
+@item
+ finding short score file names takes forever.
+@item
+ canceling articles in foreign groups.
+@item
+ nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
+@item
+ C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
+@item
+ move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
+@item
+ nnweb doesn't work properly.
+@item
+ using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
+@item
+ when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
+master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
+Perhaps.
+
+@item
+ warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
+@item
+ really unbinhex binhex files.
+@item
+ take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
+bar and the Gnus bar.
+@item
+@example
+ push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
+`(canonize-message-id id)'
+`(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
+`(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
+`(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
+`(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
+
+@end example
+
+@item
+ nnml .overview directory with splits.
+@item
+ asynchronous cache
+@item
+ postponed commands.
+@item
+ the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
+@item
+ when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
+the server?
+@item
+ sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
+headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
+@item
+ nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
+inherit copy prompts and save files.
+@item
+ command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
+@item
+ allow editing the group description from the group buffer
+for backends that support that.
+@item
+gnus-hide,show-all-topics
+@item
+ groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
+and not just list all subtopics at the end.
+@item
+ a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
+threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
+@item
+ a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
+@item
+ a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
+@item
+ add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
+@item
+ server mode command: close/open all connections
+@item
+ put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
+has been changed before using it.
+@item
+ on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
+@item
+ hide (sub)threads with low score.
+@item
+ when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
+@item
+ gnus-summary-limit-to-body
+@item
+ a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
+on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
+@item
+ easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
+contain groups that match a regexp.
+@item
+ allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
+the URL.
+@item
+ If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
+"From " line.
+@item
+ fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
+from subject lines.
+@item
+ gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
+@item
+ nntp-ping-before-connect
+@item
+ command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
+@item
+ when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
+files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
+@item
+ message annotations.
+@item
+ topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
+@item
+ (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
+to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
+@item
+ allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
+are in the cache.
+@item
+ AUTHINFO GENERIC
+@item
+ support qmail maildir spools
+@item
+ `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
+@item
+ stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
+@item
+ C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
+@item
+ go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
+next group instead of going to the group buffer.
+@item
+ gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
+@item
+ record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
+@item
+ `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
+finds and generate proper active ranges.
+@item
+ nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
+whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
+@item
+ gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
+@item
+ gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
+@item
+ when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
+articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
+@item
+ nneething should allow deletion/moving.
+@item
+ TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
+@item
+ if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
+and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
+save mail in.
+@item
+ command for listing all score files that have been applied.
+@item
+ a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
+@item
+ `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
+`C-c C-c' when posting.
+@item
+ nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
+as a spool file.
+@item
+ when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
+should be marker as expirable.
+@item
+ article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
+@item
+ on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
+on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
+@item
+ when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
+Also consult Date headers.
+@item
+ a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
+@item
+ `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
+@item
+ duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
+Message-ID, delete the "original".
+@item
+ when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
+into a See-Also header.
+@item
+ support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
+@item
+ support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
+@item
+ when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
+should be listed as such and not as "K".
+@item
+ generate font names dynamically.
+@item
+ score file mode auto-alist.
+@item
+ allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
+methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
+@item
+ `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
+absolutely all headers there is.
+@item
+ function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
+and pipe them to the process.
+@item
+ cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
+the file whenever we read the active file or the list
+of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
+@item
+ function for starting to edit a file to put into
+the current mail group.
+@item
+ score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
+@item
+ "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
+to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
+@item
+ look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
+the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
+@item
+ function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
+@item
+ when replying to several process-marked articles,
+have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
+@item
+ command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
+groups it has been mailed to.
+@item
+ `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
+@item
+ hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
+@item
+ Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
+@item
+ `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
+pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
+@item
+ When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
+newlines) should be ignored.
+@item
+ Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
+groups in subtopics as well.
+@item
+ Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
+@item
+ nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
+variable settings.
+@item
+ add edit and forward secondary marks.
+@item
+ nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
+@item
+ allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
+@item
+ `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
+@item
+ nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
+@item
+ allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
+@item
+ Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
+or the formatted article.
+@item
+ a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
+@item
+ I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
+should be a feature in Red Gnus.
+@item
+ The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
+@item
+ more limiting functions -- date, etc.
+@item
+ be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
+@item
+ a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
+even unread articles.
+@item
+ a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
+@item
+ variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
+@item
+ manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
+@item
+ checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
+@item
+ canceling articles in foreign groups.
+@item
+ article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
+Xref handling.
+@item
+ Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
+next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
+@item
+ Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
+in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
+@item
+ Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
+@item
+ a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
+@item
+ a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
+from a particular server? Hm.
+@item
+ `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
+the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
+@item
+ `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
+@item
+ a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
+and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
+@item
+ a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
+all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
+@item
+ It should also probably be possible to delimit what
+`gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
+some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
+a certain number.
+@item
+ nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
+the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
+@item
+ allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
+@item
+ a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
+@item
+ a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
+@item
+ server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
+from a server.
+@item
+ when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
+from all articles.
+@item
+ a command for deciding what the total score of the current
+thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
+@item
+ command to show and edit group scores
+@item
+ a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
+horizontally.
+@item
+ command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
+@item
+ `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
+@item
+ keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
+Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
+buffer.
+@item
+ gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
+that are of that length.
+@item
+ have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
+@item
+ cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
+@item
+ asynchronous posting under nntp.
+@item
+ be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
+@item
+ a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
+@item
+ `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
+@item
+ if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
+a score lower than this number.
+@item
+ split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
+@item
+ buttonize ange-ftp file names.
+@item
+ a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
+so that each copy can be edited separately.
+@item
+ nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
+@item
+ record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
+it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
+@item
+ nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
+all nnml servers.
+@item
+ when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
+the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
+ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
+to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
+@item
+ M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
+the topic.
+@item
+ command to remove all topic stuff.
+@item
+ allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
+and splitting the resulting digests.
+@item
+ nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
+@item
+ command to nix out all nnoo state information.
+@item
+ nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
+matches an alist -- before saving.
+@item
+ use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
+@item
+ variable to activate each group before entering them
+to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
+@item
+ command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
+starting Gnus first if necessary.
+@item
+ when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
+ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
+@item
+ buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
+@item
+ `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
+of several groups at once.
+@item
+ command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
+matches some regexp(s).
+@item
+ nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
+@item
+ it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
+@item
+ hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
+@item
+ `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
+@item
+ remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
+@item
+ `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
+@item
+ when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
+@item
+ killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
+of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
+be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
+should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
+@item
+ command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
+"ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
+@item
+ `X u' should decode base64 articles.
+@item
+ a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
+recently cited text.
+@item
+ nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
+@item
+ after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
+be invalidated.
+@item
+ there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
+server and just read the articles in the server
+@item
+ allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
+value of nnoo variables.
+@item
+ a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
+@item
+ groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
+listed in each group info.
+@item
+ a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
+buffer.
+@item
+ a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
+should only be applied to some groups.
+@item
+ Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
+mail-copies-to: never.
+@item
+ new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
+using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
+@item
+ the slave dribble files should autosave to the slave file names.
@item
-Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
-
-@item
-Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
-@dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
-
-@item
-Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
-(@pxref{GroupLens}).
-
-@item
-Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
-
-@item
-Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
-
-@item
-Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
-
-@item
-Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
-
-@item
-Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
-distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
-
-@item
-Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
-
-@item
-Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
-
-@item
-Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
-
-@item
-Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
-.newsrc files.
-
-@item
-Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
-
+ a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
+on article marks.
@item
-David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
-
-@item
-Ricardo Nassif, Mark Borges, and Jost Krieger---proof-reading.
-
-@item
-Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
-
+ a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
+of normal logo?)
@item
-François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
-
-@end itemize
-
-The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
-
-Christopher Davis,
-Andrew Eskilsson,
-Kai Grossjohann,
-David Kågedal,
-Richard Pieri,
-Fabrice Popineau,
-Daniel Quinlan,
-Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
-and
-Jack Vinson.
-
-Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
-
-Adrian Aichner,
-Peter Arius,
-Matt Armstrong,
-Marc Auslander,
-Chris Bone,
-Mark Borges,
-Lance A. Brown,
-Kees de Bruin,
-Martin Buchholz,
-Kevin Buhr,
-Alastair Burt,
-Joao Cachopo,
-Zlatko Calusic,
-Massimo Campostrini,
-Michael R. Cook,
-Glenn Coombs,
-Frank D. Cringle,
-Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
-Andre Deparade,
-Ulrik Dickow,
-Dave Disser,
-Joev Dubach,
-Michael Welsh Duggan,
-Paul Eggert,
-Michael Ernst,
-Luc Van Eycken,
-Sam Falkner,
-Paul Franklin,
-Arne Georg Gleditsch,
-David S. Goldberg,
-D. Hall,
-Magnus Hammerin,
-Raja R. Harinath,
-Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
-Marc Horowitz,
-Gunnar Horrigmo,
-Brad Howes,
-François Felix Ingrand,
-Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
-Lee Iverson,
-Rajappa Iyer,
-Randell Jesup,
-Fred Johansen,
-Kim-Minh Kaplan,
-Greg Klanderman,
-Karl Kleinpaste,
-Peter Skov Knudsen,
-Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
-Thor Kristoffersen,
-Jens Lautenbacher,
-Carsten Leonhardt,
-James LewisMoss,
-Christian Limpach,
-Markus Linnala,
-Dave Love,
-Tonny Madsen,
-Shlomo Mahlab,
-Nat Makarevitch,
-David Martin,
-Gordon Matzigkeit,
-Timo Metzemakers,
-Richard Mlynarik,
-Lantz Moore,
-Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
-Erik Toubro Nielsen,
-Hrvoje Niksic,
-Andy Norman,
-C. R. Oldham,
-Alexandre Oliva,
-Ken Olstad,
-Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
-Hideki Ono, @c Ono
-William Perry,
-Stephen Peters,
-Ulrich Pfeifer,
-John McClary Prevost,
-Colin Rafferty,
-Bart Robinson,
-Jason Rumney,
-Dewey M. Sasser,
-Loren Schall,
-Dan Schmidt,
-Ralph Schleicher,
-Philippe Schnoebelen,
-Randal L. Schwartz,
-Danny Siu,
-Paul D. Smith,
-Jeff Sparkes,
-Toby Speight,
-Michael Sperber,
-Richard Stallman,
-Greg Stark,
-Paul Stodghill,
-Kurt Swanson,
-Samuel Tardieu,
-Teddy,
-Chuck Thompson,
-Philippe Troin,
-Aaron M. Ucko,
-Jan Vroonhof,
-Barry A. Warsaw,
-Christoph Wedler,
-Joe Wells,
-and
-Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
-
-For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
-included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
-(550kB and counting).
+ Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
+@item
+ Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
+clear up info.
+@item
+ group user-defined meta-parameters.
-Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
-sure.
-Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
-actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
+From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
+@item
+ I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
+thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
+you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
+problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
+What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
-@node New Features
-@subsection New Features
-@cindex new features
+In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
+ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
-@menu
-* ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
-* September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
-* Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
-@end menu
-These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
-@emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
-Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
-@node ding Gnus
-@subsubsection (ding) Gnus
+@item
+@example
+From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
+(add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
+ (lambda ()
+ (gnus-group-add-parameter group
+ (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
+
+(defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
+ "Return the date the group was last read."
+ (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
+ (t "")))
+@end example
-New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
+@item
+ tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
+opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
+liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
+hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
-@itemize @bullet
@item
-The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
-(@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
-
-@item
-Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
-(@pxref{Select Methods}).
+LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
+LMI> answered and read, I guess.
-@item
-You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
+It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
+unix mbox files).
-@item
-You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
-All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
-(@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
+They could be used like this:
-@item
-Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
-their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
-can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
-(@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
-@item
-Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
-them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
+@example
+`M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
+`M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
+`/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
-@item
-Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
-entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
-(@pxref{The Active File}).
+<expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
-@item
-Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
-(@pxref{Group Levels}).
+`/ l bug & !fixed RET'
+@end example
-@item
-You can score articles according to any number of criteria
-(@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
-articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
+would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
+`fixed'.
-@item
-Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
-manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
-read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
+One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
+affect the summary line format.
-@item
-Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
-the @file{.emacs} file.
-@item
-You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
-operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
+@item
+Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
-@item
-You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
-results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
+I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
+would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
-@item
-You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
-(@pxref{Listing Groups}).
+- If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
+summary buffer.
-@item
-You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
-servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
+- For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
-@item
-Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
-server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
+- For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
-@item
-You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
+- For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
-@item
-The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
-(@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
+- For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
-@item
-You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
-of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
+- For other files, just find them normally.
-@item
-Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
-glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
+I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
+directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
@item
-Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
+Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
+tell him what you are doing.
@item
-Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
-(@pxref{Document Groups}).
+Currently, I get prompted:
-@item
-Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
-Articles}).
+decend into sci?
+- type y
+decend into sci.something ?
+- type n
+decend into ucd?
-@item
-URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
-Buttons}).
+The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
+science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
+there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
+for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
@item
-You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
-configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
+Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
+`gnus-use-few-score-files'? Så kunne score-regler legges til den
+"mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
+"no.all.SCORE", osv.
@item
-You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
-(@pxref{Buttons}).
-
-@end itemize
-
+What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
+as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
+button:
-@node September Gnus
-@subsubsection September Gnus
-
-New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
-@itemize @bullet
+^L's
-@item
-A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
-for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
-now obsolete.
+more than n blank lines
-@item
-Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
-missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
-Threading}).
+more than m identical lines
+(which should be replaced with button to show them)
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
-@end lisp
+any whitespace surrounding any of the above
-@item
-Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
-(@pxref{Archived Messages}).
@item
-Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
-referred.
+Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
+`spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
+subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
+"same" subject for threading purposes.
@item
-Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
+Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
+"(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
+form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
+those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
@item
-Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
+ Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
+tick - thumb tack
+killed - skull
+soup - bowl of soup
+score below - dim light bulb
+score over - bright light bulb
@item
-A @code{trn}-line tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
+Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-use-trees t)
-@end lisp
+@example
+Group-mode
+
+ show-list-of-articles-in-group
+ if (key-pressed == SPACE)
+ if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
+ if (articles-selected)
+ start-reading-selected-articles;
+ junk-unread-articles;
+ next-group;
+ else
+ show-next-page;
+
+ else if (key-pressed = '.')
+ if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
+ select-thread-under-cursor;
+ else
+ select-article-under-cursor;
+
+
+Article-mode
+ if (key-pressed == SPACE)
+ if (more-pages-in-article)
+ next-page;
+ else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
+ next-article;
+ else
+ next-group;
+@end example
@item
-An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
-buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
+My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
+One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
+it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
+nneething groups.
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
-@end lisp
+A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
+allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
+the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
+the wildcard expression).
@item
-In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
-Groups}).
+It would be nice if it also handled
-@item
-Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
-Topics}).
+ <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
-@end lisp
+which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
-@item
-Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
@item
-Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
-is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
-@end lisp
+ Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
+really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
+gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
+article versions) variable.
-@item
-Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
-groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
+ So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
+
+ A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
+the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
-@item
-Caching is possible in virtual groups.
@item
-@code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
-news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
-else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
+ nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
+articles.
+@item
+ gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
+active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
+(message-sent-hook).
+@item
+ rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
@item
-Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
-(@pxref{SOUP}).
+ * Enhancements to Gnus:
+
+ Add two commands:
+
+ * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
+ straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
+ servers first.
+
+ * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
+ the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
+ quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
@item
-The Gnus cache is much faster.
+ add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
+go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
+and stuff.
@item
-Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
-Groups}).
+ `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
@item
-New group parameters have been introduced to set list-address and
-expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
+ a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
+secondary marks.
@item
-All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
-(@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
+ when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
+the nnmail duplicate checking.
@item
-There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
-marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
+ allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
+value of the signature file.
@item
-The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
-articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
-bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
+ In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
+could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
+interface like
+
+(setq message-tab-alist
+ '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
+ ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
+
+then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
+the header
@item
-Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
-(@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
+ cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
@item
-All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
+ a command to import a buffer into a group.
@item
-Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
+ nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
- 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
+beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
@item
-All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
+ a command to process mark all unread articles.
@item
-Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
+ `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
+do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
+do more gathering by subject.
@item
-All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
-buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
+ gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
+article numerical order.
@item
-Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
-Configuration}).
+ (gnus-thread-total-score
+ (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
+bind to a key.
@item
-Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
+ sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
@item
-Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
+ a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
+in the summary buffer.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-use-nocem t)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
+version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
@item
-Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
+ http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
+This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
+database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
+and/or newsgroup name.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
-@end lisp
+@item
+ new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
@item
-Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
+ use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
@item
-Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
+ a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
@item
-Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
-(@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
+ in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
+group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
+will automatically get the process mark.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
- 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
+default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
+user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
@item
-Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
-refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
+ make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
+current group.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
+to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
@item
-A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
-buffer to allow easier treatment.
+ a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
+`first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
+candidates.
@item
-Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
+ be able to select groups that have no articles in them
+to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
@item
-Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
-Articles}).
+ be able to post via DejaNews.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
@item
-@code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
-articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
+ allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
+allow them to be displayed separately.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
+the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
@item
-Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
-(@pxref{Article Washing}).
+ a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
+articles that match a certain From header.
@item
-Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
-cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
+ a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
+saving living summary buffers.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
+the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
@item
-Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
+ a battery of character translation functions to translate common
+Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
- 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
-@end lisp
+@example
+(defun article-fix-m$word ()
+ "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
+ (interactive)
+ (save-excursion
+ (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
+ (goto-char (point-min))
+ (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
+ (replace-match "`" t t))
+ (goto-char (point-min))
+ (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
+ (replace-match "'" t t))
+ (goto-char (point-min))
+ (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
+ (replace-match "\"" t t))
+ (goto-char (point-min))
+ (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
+ (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
+@end example
@item
-Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
+@example
+ (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
+'(lambda ()
+ (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
+ (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
+ (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
+ (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
+@end example
@item
-Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
-
-@end itemize
+ allow message-default-headers to be a function.
+@item
+ new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
+numbers and match on the age of the article.
-@node Red Gnus
-@subsubsection Red Gnus
+@item
+ gnus-cacheable-groups
-New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
+@item
+@example
+> > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
+> > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
+> > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
+>
+> > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
+> > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
+>
+> I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
+> least that's the way I've caught it doing the
+> deed before.
+@end example
-@itemize @bullet
+@item
+ all commands that react to the process mark should push
+the current process mark set onto the stack.
@item
-@file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
+ gnus-article-hide-pgp
+Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
+@example
+"\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
+@end example
+og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
+er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
@item
-Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
-Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
+ `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
+sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
@item
-Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
-@code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
-Scoring}).
+ gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
+on the lines.
@item
-Article washing status can be displayed in the
-article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
+ use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
+home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
@item
-@file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
+ add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
@item
-Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
-(@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
+ nndraft-request-group should tally autosave files.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
-@end lisp
+@item
+ implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
@item
-New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
-considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}).
+ gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
+articles.
@item
-@code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
-Server Internals}).
+ (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
@item
-Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
-Parameters}).
+ nn*-spool-methods
@item
-Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
+ interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
@item
-Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
-(@pxref{Article Signature}).
+ command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
+current group.
@item
-Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
-numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
-articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
+ a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
+X characters in the body.
@item
-Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
-another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
+ handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
@item
-A way to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed when
-generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
+ include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
@item
-Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
-(@pxref{Undo}).
+ format spec to "tab" to a position.
@item
-Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
-(@pxref{Score File Format}).
+ Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
@item
-Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
-(@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
+ command to display all dormant articles.
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
-@end lisp
+@item
+ gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
@item
-Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
-
-@lisp
-(setq gnus-decay-scores t)
-@end lisp
+ a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
+to something someone else has said.
@item
-Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
-normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
+ Read Netscape discussion groups:
+snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
@item
-A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
-the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
+One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
+the displayed version.
@item
-A new command for reading collections of documents
-(@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
-(@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
+@kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
+current article.
@item
-Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
-Marks}).
+Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
@item
-A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
-server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
+How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
+possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
+expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
+& age > 14 days)?
@item
-A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
-(@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
-(@pxref{Web Searches}).
+New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
+in the head or body.
@item
-Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
-functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
-Sorting}).
+Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
@item
-Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
-Groups}).
+gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
@item
-Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
-Commands}).
-
+Editing an article should put the article to be edited
+in a special, unique buffer.
+
@item
-Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
-Variables}).
+A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
@item
-Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
-Mail}).
+A Date scoring type that will match if the article
+is less than a certain number of days old.
@item
-More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
-mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
+New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
@item
-Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
+Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
-@lisp
-(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
-@end lisp
-
-@end itemize
+@item
+Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
+file, for instance.
+@item
+With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
+in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
+dummy root instead of the first article.
-@node Newest Features
-@subsection Newest Features
-@cindex todo
+@item
+Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
+topics for displaying.
-Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
-next millennium.
+@item
+`n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
+with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
-Be afraid. Be very afraid.
+@item
+gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
-@itemize @bullet
@item
-Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
+gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
+many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
+summary buffer for each article.
+
@item
-Really do unbinhexing.
-@end itemize
+Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
-And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
-implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
+@item
+Solve the halting problem.
-@file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/rgnus/todo>} is where the actual
-up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
-could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
+@c TODO
+@end itemize
@iftex
+@page
@node The Manual
@section The Manual
@cindex colophon
either @code{texi2dvi}
@iflatex
or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
-and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
+and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
@end iflatex
to get what you hold in your hands now.
@item
This is a @file{file}
-@item
+@item
This is a @code{symbol}
@end enumerate
@end iftex
+@page
@node Terminology
@section Terminology
@item foreign
@cindex foreign
You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
-These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
+These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
+news.
@item secondary
@cindex secondary
@cindex mail message
A message that has been mailed.
-@item message
+@item message
@cindex message
A mail message or news article
@item body
@cindex body
-The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
-body.
+The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
+body.
@item header
@cindex header
-A line from the head of an article.
+A line from the head of an article.
@item headers
@cindex headers
server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
-@item server
+@item activating
+@cindex activating groups
+The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
+number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
+Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
+
+@item server
@cindex server
-A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
+A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
@item select method
@cindex select method
A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
-server parameters.
+server settings.
@item virtual server
@cindex virtual server
-A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
-know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the things as a
+A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
+know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
whole is a virtual server.
@item washing
@cindex washing
Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
-original.
+original.
@item ephemeral groups
@cindex ephemeral groups
Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
-group, it'll disappear into the aether.
+group, it'll disappear into the aether.
@item solid groups
@cindex solid groups
These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
@code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
+@item threading
+@cindex threading
+To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
+to---in a hierarchical fashion.
+
+@item root
+@cindex root
+@cindex thread root
+The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
+articles in the thread.
+
+@item parent
+@cindex parent
+An article that has responses.
+
+@item child
+@cindex child
+An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
+
+@item digest
+@cindex digest
+A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
+specified by RFC1153.
+
@end table
+@page
@node Customization
@section Customization
@cindex general customization
@node Slow Terminal Connection
@subsection Slow Terminal Connection
-Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
-runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
-amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
+Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
+Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
+possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
@table @code
horizontal and vertical recentering.
@item gnus-visible-headers
-Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
+Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
@samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
@item gnus-article-display-hook
Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
@lisp
-(setq gnus-article-display-hook
- '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
+(setq gnus-article-display-hook
+ '(gnus-article-hide-headers
+ gnus-article-hide-signature
gnus-article-hide-citation))
@end lisp
If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
-default.
+default.
@item gnus-save-killed-list
If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
-Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
+Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
@code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
processing a bit faster.
+@page
@node Troubleshooting
@section Troubleshooting
@cindex troubleshooting
@item
Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
-how-to.
+how-to.
@item
@vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
@kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
-time.
+time.
It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
-you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
-just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
+you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
+back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
+@page
@node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
@section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
(ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
-and general method of operations.
+and general methods of operation.
-@menu
+@menu
* Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
* Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
* Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
* Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
* Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
* Group Info:: The group info format.
+* Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
* Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
* Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
@end menu
@item gnus-get-info
@findex gnus-get-info
-Return the group info list for @var{group}.
+Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
+
+@item gnus-group-unread
+@findex gnus-group-unread
+The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
+unknown.
+
+@item gnus-active
+@findex gnus-active
+The active entry for @var{group}.
+
+@item gnus-set-active
+@findex gnus-set-active
+Set the active entry for @var{group}.
@item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
@findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
-Add the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
+Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
exit.
@item gnus-continuum-version
@findex gnus-continuum-version
-Take a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
+Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
versions.
@item gnus-group-read-only-p
@findex gnus-group-read-only-p
-Say whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
+Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
@item gnus-news-group-p
@findex gnus-news-group-p
-Say whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
+Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
@item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
@findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
-Say whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
+Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
@item gnus-server-to-method
@findex gnus-server-to-method
-Return the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
+Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
@item gnus-server-equal
@findex gnus-server-equal
-Say whether two virtual servers are equal.
+Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
@item gnus-group-native-p
@findex gnus-group-native-p
-Say whether @var{group} is native or not.
+Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
@item gnus-group-secondary-p
@findex gnus-group-secondary-p
-Say whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
+Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
@item gnus-group-foreign-p
@findex gnus-group-foreign-p
-Say whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
+Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
@item group-group-find-parameter
@findex group-group-find-parameter
-Return the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
-return the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
+Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
+returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
@item gnus-group-set-parameter
@findex gnus-group-set-parameter
@item gnus-narrow-to-body
@findex gnus-narrow-to-body
-Narrow the current buffer to the body of the article.
+Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
@item gnus-check-backend-function
@findex gnus-check-backend-function
@item gnus-read-method
@findex gnus-read-method
-Prompt the user for a select method.
+Prompts the user for a select method.
@end table
name. Take this example:
@lisp
-(nntp "odd-one"
- (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
+(nntp "odd-one"
+ (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
(nntp-port-number 4324))
@end lisp
Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
-the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
+the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
-server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
+server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
-always check whether are present before attempting to call.
+always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
@code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
return value.
Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
-some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
+some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
-- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
more.
In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
-@code{nnchoke}.
+@code{nnchoke}.
@cindex @code{nnchoke}
@var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
@code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
-retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
+retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
-of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
+of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
-If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
-headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
+If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
+headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
-article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
+article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
number, do maximum fetches.
If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
@dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
-separated by tabs.
+separated by tabs.
@example
nov-buffer = *nov-line
field = <text except TAB>
@end example
-For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
-@pxref{Headers}.
+For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
+@pxref{Headers}.
@item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
@var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
-list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
+list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
-server. In fact, it should do so.
+server. In fact, it should do so.
If the server is opened already, this function should return a
non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
-There should be no data returned.
+There should be no data returned.
@item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
physical server is alive, then this function should return a
non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
-attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
+attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
There should be no data returned.
@item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
-This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
+This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
There should be no data returned.
If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
-another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
-its article buffer.
+another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
+into its article buffer.
If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
-the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
+the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
@code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
-on successful article retrievement.
+on successful article retrieval.
@item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
-making @var{group} the current group.
+making @var{group} the current group.
If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
the current group.
@item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
-a no-op on most backends.
+a no-op on most backends.
There should be no data returned.
@item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
-@emph{all}.
+@emph{all}.
Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
(@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
-(@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
+(@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
@item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
clear if the posting could not be completed.
-There should be no result data from this function.
+There should be no result data from this function.
@end table
When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
-user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
+user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
@code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
@var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
@var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
-@var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
+@var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
-The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
+The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
-expirable.
+expirable.
There should be no result data from this function.
@item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
The result data from this function should be a description of
-@var{group}.
+@var{group}.
@example
description-line = name <TAB> description eol
@item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
-This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
+This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
There should be no return data.
numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
-they are.
+they are.
This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
able to delete.
&optional LAST)
This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
-@var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
+@var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
This function should ready the article in question for moving by
removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
-optimizations.
+optimizations.
-The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
-the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
+The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
+the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
-There should be no data returned.
+There should be no data returned.
@item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
this function in short order.
-The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
-the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
+The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
+the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
There should be no data returned.
@item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
-articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
+articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
There should be no data returned.
error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
-there are many of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
-This function always returns @code{nil}.
+there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
+This function must always returns @code{nil}.
@lisp
(nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
takes one argument---the server symbol.
-Internally, these function access @var{backend}@code{-status-string}, so
-the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
-@code{nnchoke-status-string}.
+Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
+so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
+@code{nnchoke-status-string}.
@node Writing New Backends
It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
-want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
+want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
-package called @code{nnoo}.
+package called @code{nnoo}.
To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
following macros:
-following.
@table @code
nnml nnmh)
@end lisp
-@code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
+@code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
@item defvoo
This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
-declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
+declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
@code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
-of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
+of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
@item nnoo-define-basics
This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
@item mail
This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
@item post
-This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
+This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
@item post-mail
This backend supports both mail and news.
@item none
-This is neither a post or mail backend---it's something completely
-different.
+This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
+different.
@item respool
It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
articles and groups.
@item prompt-address
The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
@kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
-@code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
+@code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
@end table
One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
-@code{nnml-request-scan}:
+@code{nnml-request-scan}:
@lisp
(deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
(nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
@end lisp
-It simply just calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will a few parameters,
+It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
-mail.
+mail.
This function takes four parameters.
@code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
-find the article number assigned to this article.
+find the article number assigned to this article.
The function also uses the following variables:
@var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
@node Score File Syntax
@subsection Score File Syntax
-Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
+Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
quote = <ascii 34>
-string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
+string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
"xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
number-header = "lines" / "chars"
date-header = "date"
-string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
+string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
score = "nil" / <integer>
date = "nil" / <natural number>
-string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
+string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
"r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
"e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
"f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
-number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
+number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
-date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
+date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
exclude-files / read-only / touched
-optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
+optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
@end example
Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
-discarded.
+discarded.
As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
one looong line, then that's ok.
The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
-manual.
+manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
@node Headers
@subsection Headers
-Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
+Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
@subsection Ranges
@sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
-using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
+using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
-sequence.
+sequence.
@example
(1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
@end example
is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
-also legal:
+also valid:
@example
(1 . 5)
range = simple-range / normal-range
simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
-contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
+contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
number *[ " " contents ]
@end example
Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
-sequences.)
+sequences.)
@node Group Info
("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
(nnml "")
- (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@gnus.org")))
+ ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
@end example
The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
-normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
-read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
-of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
-server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
-parameters}, which is what this section is about.
+normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
+cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
+score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
+fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
+The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
+The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
+this section is about.
Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
@example
-info = "(" group space level space read
+info = "(" group space ralevel space read
[ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
- space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
+ space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
group = quote <string> quote
+ralevel = rank / level
level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
+rank = "(" level "." score ")"
+score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
read = range
marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
marks = "(" <string> range ")"
@itemx gnus-info-set-rank
@findex gnus-info-rank
@findex gnus-info-set-rank
-Get/set the group rank.
+Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
@item gnus-info-level
@itemx gnus-info-set-level
@itemx gnus-info-set-score
@findex gnus-info-score
@findex gnus-info-set-score
-Get/set the group score.
+Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
@item gnus-info-read
@itemx gnus-info-set-read
the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
+@node Extended Interactive
+@subsection Extended Interactive
+@cindex interactive
+@findex gnus-interactive
+
+Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
+slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
+Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
+
+@lisp
+(defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
+ (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
+ ...
+ )
+@end lisp
+
+The best thing to do would have been to implement
+@code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
+@code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
+whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
+on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
+function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
+@code{interactive}.
+
+This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
+adds a few more.
+
+@table @samp
+@item y
+@vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
+The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
+variable.
+
+@item Y
+@vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
+A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
+@code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
+
+@item A
+The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
+function.
+
+@item H
+The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
+function.
+
+@item g
+The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
+function.
+
+@end table
+
+
@node Emacs/XEmacs Code
@subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
@cindex XEmacs
This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
-Gnus, that's very useful.
+Gnus, that's very useful.
I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
all over.
-In the cases when the XEmacs function interface was obviously
-cleaner, I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p}
-is an alias for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs
-it is a function.
+In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
+I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
+for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
@node Active File Format
@subsubsection Active File Format
-The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
+The active file lists all groups available on the server in
question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
-in each group.
+in each group.
Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
@end example
+For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
+@samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
+
@node Newsgroups File Format
@subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
@end example
+@page
@node Emacs for Heathens
@section Emacs for Heathens
@item
Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
-@item
+@item
A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
@end itemize
``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
-The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
+The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
-keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
+keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
-Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
+Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
@kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
-previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
+previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
@kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
-
+@page
@include gnus-faq.texi
@node Index
projects / gnus / blobdiff